


Prisoners And The Moon

by missgardian



Series: Wolves [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Gore, Book 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Character Death, Dark Harry Potter, Dark Magic, Dementors, Gen, Hogwarts Third Year, Injury, Insane Harry, Legilimency, Morally Grey Harry Potter, Murder, My own version of Dementors, My own version of werewolves, Nice Severus Snape, Occlumency, Parseltongue, Powerful Harry Potter, Slytherin Harry Potter, Smart Harry Potter, Snakes, Swearing, Vampires, Violence, Werewolf Harry Potter, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:33:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 29
Words: 176,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23041033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missgardian/pseuds/missgardian
Summary: Harry is beginning his third year of school officially in Slytherin House, with some new allies. His so called best friends seemed to have formed a different opinion of him lately and he's tried really hard to gain back some of the respect that he knows he deserves, but it's proving to be difficult.Nessie seems to be the only one who remains truly loyal and sticks by his side, and for that, he is eternally grateful. It sure makes surviving the school year a whole lot easier when you have a convict from Azkaban coming after you and getting stalked by some Dementors who seem oddly obsessed with him.But, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher seems like he might be alright, if only he'd bother to stay in classes sometimes. Harry has an excuse for skipping, what's his?
Relationships: Albus Dumbledore & Harry Potter, Death & Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter, Harry Potter & Blaise Zabini, Harry Potter & Original Male Character(s), Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Harry Potter & Severus Snape, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter, Minerva McGonagall & Harry Potter, Remus Lupin & Harry Potter, Sirius Black & Harry Potter, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin, Theodore Nott & Harry Potter
Series: Wolves [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589911
Comments: 584
Kudos: 404





	1. Death's Book

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOURTH PART YAY!!
> 
> This is where things start getting intense and I've been waiting to write this for months now 😉
> 
> ps: there's MAJOR foreshadowing in this chapter, I won't say which part however lmfao so just take a guess

Harry was bored back at the Dursleys. Of course, they'd tried snatching his things away from him as soon as he got home but Harry was getting older and bigger now and so the threats came easier.

He whipped out his wand and shoved it underneath Uncle Vernon's throat, telling him to leave him alone or he'd curse him. When he asked what that was, Harry laughed and said he'd gladly show him. Aunt Petunia interfered, obviously having known what it must be from hearing about it from her sister when they were younger.

She still gave him a look of disbelief, as if not understanding what was going through his head to make him say such a threat like that. He just shrugged at her with a smile and took his stuff to his room, ignoring her worried look.

He was still feeling completely bitter with Ron. Actually, no. For the time being, he refuses to call him by his name. Right now, he's just Weasley. He's bitter with _Weasley_ for how he treated him not only in the tower by calling him a traitor, but in the compartment on the train. Friends don't do that.

At first, Harry felt a little bit bad about spitting in his face, he felt like that was a low blow, but after going over the situation several times and not even getting a letter to apologise... Or even just to ask if he's alright?

Unacceptable behaviour. He scowled when he thought about him, mentally reprimanding himself for it. Until he gets what he deserves, which is an apology, he refuses to think about him.

He's sitting in bed late at night and reading over a book that deals with witch burning. He'd seen Aunt Petunia leave a book out about this a couple of years ago, but it was a silly muggle version for comedic reasons. This is the real deal.

He laughs down at the contents. There was some witch that loved being burned alive and the morbid thought stuck with him. Even though she used magic to put it out, the thought of some wicked witch or wizard that peeved him off just getting stuck to a stake and lit up in bright flames seemed oddly appealing. 

Even the thought of doing it to a muggle, perhaps the one's downstairs. He wouldn't miss the Dursleys at all. He could easily make it look like an accidental fire from the stove or oven being left on. 

He was pulled out of his musings by hissing.

 **"Youngling, you have mail! Look, the fat bird is holding something for you. Grab it before I eat it,"** Nessie told him.

Harry looked at the owl who was cooing on his windowsill and holding a package. He took it from the bird and it flew away. He distinctly recognised the grey bird as Severus's.

He opened up the package and inside were three of his disgusting vials, of course. 

"Great," he sighed to himself. "I completely forgot." Honestly, if it weren't for Severus, he'd be a wreck and most likely, several people would either be injured or even dead.

**"What is it? Is that your funky juice?"**

Harry smiled and nodded. **"Yeah, girl. It's the stuff that stops me from going nuts,"** he sighed.

 **"What's wrong with going nuts? Being a normal person is so boring. Be as crazy as you want, youngling,"** she advised him.

Harry stroked her scales and cuddled into her. She always offered the best of advice, even better than humans. **"Thanks, Ness."**

He decided to be tough and just chugged a vial of the potion back with a cringe, tongue sticking out and letting out a disgusting "blaaahhh!" to himself.

 **"So overdramatic..."** Nessie hissed and Harry scoffed at her. The audacity!

He lets her wrap herself snugly around him whilst making sure the door to his room is locked. The very last thing he wants is for the Dursleys to come in and see Nessie. They'd try to kill her and that wouldn't end well for anyone. It'd be a bloodbath.

He falls asleep eventually, listening to her gentle hisses which always sooth him. He may not have a human mother, but Nessie is the second closest thing he has to one, just in animal form, no matter how weird that may seem to people. It's their dynamic, it's perfect.

* * *

The next day when the Dursleys are getting under Harry's skin and he's so close to actually using some form of curse on Dudley, which he should be thankful he isn't, he decides to get out the house, much to everyone's relief. 

He has money in both muggle and magical form stored away deep in his trunk, grabs some Galleons as he wants to explore some Wizarding stuff that he perhaps can take back to school, walks out on the streets and holds out his wand for the transportation he knows exists. The Knights Bus arrives almost instantly and he nods to Stan who grins at him.

"Ey, look who it is! It's Evan. Have you gotten taller?" he laughed.

Harry smiled awkwardly, remembering the fake name he gave last time. "Just a tad."

"Same place as usual, I take it?" Stan asks.

"Yeah, thanks," Harry nods, meaning the Leaky Cauldron.

The bus then takes off at full speed and Harry clutches at his stomach just like last time, refusing the hot chocolate he was offered.

"I still can't get used to this..." he mumbled, feeling sick.

 **"I can _totally_ get used to it!"** Nessie spoke up cheerfully, clearly enjoying the ride. She's mental, Harry was thinking. How she was enjoying this, he would never know.

Eventually, they reached their destination and Harry just threw the money at Stan and jumped off the bus so he could get to the Leaky Cauldron and through the wall which led him into Diagon Alley. He'd memorised the way you tap your wand against the wall to get in but he never told anyone that, of course. 

He had decided to wear long black robes today and pulled his hair across his face, then his hood up over his head. He was a spooky sight to see, but otherwise he was the kind of figure you wouldn't want to approach in the streets. 

Perhaps people should start taking notes as to why he dressed this way then. It's not exactly a fashion accessory. He really does just want to blend in with the shadows and crowd.

He takes in a deep breath and heads in the direction he's most familiar with, making sure his face is covered and wand is ready to be drawn from his arm holster at any moment. He walks confidently into Knockturn Alley and turns into a small bookshop that he's heard some people in the common room recently talk about, unaware that he's been listening in. Honestly, they should be more aware of their surroundings. 

Although, it does help that he has super sensitive hearing because of his lycanthropy.

The bookstore is like the dark, dusty and rundown version of Flourish and Blotts, if he's being honest. But he knows there will be books here that will suit his appreciation much more. 

He doesn't exactly know what he's looking for, only that he wanted to come check the place out and see what was good. Nobody else is here so he looks randomly around shelves and alleys for about five minutes before his eyes are drawn to something interesting. It's a big, black book and hardly looks touched, therefore has a thick layer of dust on the top of it.

He brushes it off with his sleeve and frowns down at the title. _Understanding Death, Himself. What Lies In The Beyond?_

What a strange title, he's wondering. There comes a chuckle from the doorway behind the counter and an old man appears. He must be the shopkeeper.

"I see you've finally decided."

"I guess," Harry shrugs. "What is it? Why has nobody touched it? Because it looks brand new compared to the others," he told the man, thrusting the book out.

The man takes in a deep breath and nodded. "Quite right you are. It is untouched, and for a very good reason," he says hushed.

Harry leans forward over the counter to hear him better. "What's the reason?" He was getting quite intrigued by now.

The man whispers with a grin, as if he was about to share the world's best secret. 

"They say that whoever is in possession personally with this book, whoever purchases it and reads it... They will face Death, himself. And soon," he shuddered.

"Death, himself?" he raises an eyebrow. "What does that mean? Is this a metaphor for something? Surely, death can't actually be a real person," he said sceptically. The man just stared at him. "Oh, come on! Once you die, you die! That's life and death. That's all there is to it. There is no Death, that you speak of," he rolled his eyes.

The man grinned at him and linked his fingers. "Buy the book and read it yourself, then."

"What?" Harry asked in shock.

"If you're so sure..." the man smiled deviously. "Purchase the book for yourself, and let's see whether or not you have your brush with Death."

"Nice way of trying to make a sale, by intimidating your customers," Harry sneered.

"Not intimidating if you're hardly believing anything I'm saying," the man shrugged. "Merely persuading."

Harry sighed and looked down at the book. He hadn't yet opened the pages but it was calling out to him to do so. 

_'I don't care how mental this guy is. I want to find out what is in this book! He's a fraud, anyway. Just like all those other Seers you hear about,'_ he thought bitterly.

"How much?" he asked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his money pouch.

The man gaped at him, as if wondering if he was the one who was mental. "Uh... That'll be thirty Galleons," he said, then he smiled. "But since you're going to die soon, I'll give it to you for free. A departing gift, if you will."

Harry glared at him at scoffed, putting his money away and shrinking the book, shoving it in his pocket and leaving, after the shopkeeper offered him a sad "goodbye".

He continued walking out the Alley with his hood up, seeing a suspicious looking goblin standing around and snarling at some people whilst holding some pieces of parchment. He looked over in Harry's direction and called out.

"Oi, you interested?"

Harry slowly walked towards the tiny thing and shrugged. "Depends on what is is."

The goblin huffed at him. "You like money?"

Harry laughed. "Of course I do, who doesn't?"

"Exactly what I wanted to hear," it gave a nasty grin. "What would you say if I told you I could help you make money?"

"I'd say, tell me more."

"Come with me," the goblin led him into a small shop and shut the blinds, locking the door behind them. Harry sat down in a chair opposite him. "How old are you?"

"Twelve," Harry said, deciding it's best not to lie if this goblin can help him make some extra cash.

"I take it you still get allowance from your parents?"

"My parents are dead," Harry shrugged.

The goblin stared at him before humming. "Who gives you money?"

"I have a vault that they left me before their passing."

"But, soon enough that will run out," the goblin said.

Harry nodded. "I suppose."

"Good idea that you came to me then," it smiled. "We often use... Questionable methods of getting people money, but it works all the same. In turn, by making you money, I make money. Good, huh?" it grinned.

Harry gaped. "Hold on, is this some shady black market business?" He honestly never would have expected this from a goblin, of all creatures.

"Well, you are in Knockturn Alley," it raised a bushy eyebrow.

Harry supposed that was fair, but still... "Alright, point taken. It's just, you're a goblin!"

"Yes?"

"Shouldn't you be in Grin-"

"Gringotts?" it asked with a frown. "You would think. But, after I expressed my opinion that we should be more generous with our vaults and give some to other magical beings, they kicked me out and here I am," it scowled.

"Why would a goblin kick one of it's own kind out? Especially if you're defending magical beings?"

"They have a hard enough time dealing with witches and wizards. If the news were to spread around that Gringotts were open to vampires or werewolves, they fear their reputation would be over."

"But that's hardly true!" Harry said exasperatedly. He's suddenly glad the news of him being a werewolf had never gotten out. He just wondered how Silas coped. This is probably how he makes his money, now that he thinks about it, and that's why he lives in Knockturn. "First of all, it's completely hypocritical. And secondly, it would make people like goblins more, as they'd seem more accepting."

The goblin nodded in agreement. 

"Well, we've wasted enough time. Let's get down to business, shall we?" 

"Okay. What do you need from me? You said questionable things, what does that entail?" Harry asked with narrowed eyes.

"Well, it's all different kinds of things. Sometimes, a wizard will come in with a supply of Acromantula venom. Sometimes, someone will bring in some unicorn blood. There's a hag who might brew some nasty potion. A vampire who might come in with a heavy supply of blood. A werewolf with some fur or claws, you'd be surprised by how sharp they are," he said with wide eyes. 

Harry wasn't surprised at all, however. He owned them.

"So, do you have anything useful? Can you make any poisons? Do you have any weird body parts you could give us? Any dangerous artifacts?" the goblin asked.

The thing is, Harry had all those things but he didn't want to give up that private information. He did, however, have something useful he could use to his advantage. He'd been wondering what he could do with it, since it would just rot away eventually. Plus, the fang really is deadly and could come in useful.

"I can supply you with Basilisk parts," he said bluntly.

The goblin blinked at him. "What parts?"

Harry sighed. "There was a giant Basilisk in my school last year, going around and Petrifying people. A girl even died. I saw it first hand and it was massive, but the thing eventually died. It's body is still buried deep within the chambers of the school and nobody knows," he smirked. "I can easily go down there and start collecting the pieces in jars and bring them to you."

"What kind of pieces?" the goblin asked in wonder.

"Well, the eyes will be a little messed up and bloody, but there, all the same. I can give you the skin, it's so tough. And my personal favourite," he grinned. "The fangs. I've already kept one at home and I've used them in potions before, when nobody was around, of course. Trust me, it's toxic."

"Marvellous!" the goblin laughed. "Although, you'd be at school. How would you get them to us?"

Harry sighed. He forgot. "Um."

"You could always have someone deliver it to us, by proxy," the goblin shrugged. "We make arrangements like this all the time for people who wish to be more discreet."

"I'll give that a think, then," he nodded. There may be one person in particular he has in mind, if only he'd agree. He doesn't want to take advantage of Silas, he's his mentor, a friend. But he's a really quick and cunning vampire. He'd be the best help he could have. Plus, he'd gladly give him some profit.

But, that's a thought for later.

"You can have time to think about it. Right now, just sign your name on this piece of parchment," the goblin said, finally handing over the sheet he has been holding this entire time. Harry signed his name on a contract with a quill and instantly the ink just vanished. He gaped. "It is a magically binding contract, stating that anything I've discussed with you today, I cannot share, such as your identity and the Basilisk parts."

Harry felt relieved at that. "And on my part?"

"You can tell who you wish, so long as you know they're trust worthy. But, you cannot give up _my_ identity and the secrets I've told you," he said firmly. Harry nodded, he supposed that was fair. 

He grinned. "We don't even know each other's identities properly, though. Do we?"

The goblin grinned. "How rude. My name is Ragnok."

Harry stood up and bowed down to him politely. "Harry Potter."

Ragnok gasped and Harry snorted, heading for the door. 

"I'll hopefully see you again, soon!" he called out as he left the store.

"Of course, Mr Potter," Ragnok's voice spoke up before the door shut.

Harry usually didn't like telling people his identity and if they did find out, he definitely didn't like making a big deal about it, but he needed to stay on Ragnok's good side. They can be pretty vicious little things.

He'd been out for a couple of hours now and really wanted to get into that book already. He felt the tugging in his head, like there was a distant voice yelling _read me read me read me!_

He left back the way he came and thought about simply taking the train back to Surrey, but Nessie had woken from her long nap underneath his robes and demanded that he take her on that fun bus ride again. He couldn't say no to her, not after everything she'd done for him as a protector. She deserves the little joys in life.

He called the wretched Knight Bus back and they were on their way back to Surrey. Harry was, yet again, jumping off it as quickly as he could when they were back at the Dursleys and chuckling at Nessie's whines.

 **"We'll go on it again, okay? When I'm feeling better, I'll take you,"** he promised regretfully. 

**"I knew I liked you since the beginning, youngling,"** she hissed back in contentment and snuggled back into his robes to fall asleep again.

He ignored Dudley's irritating voice as he walked back inside the house, running upstairs and slamming the door to his bedroom, right in his cousin's face.

"Open the door, freak! Where have you been?" he yelled through the door.

"Aw, were you worried for me, Dudley? That's so nice," Harry taunted back. He let down Nessie and told her to stay put on his bed, hidden. He didn't want Dudley seeing her, at least not now.

He heard a scoff. "You wish! I was just wondering who was going to make me lunch."

"How about you get your mummy to do it for you? Since you're her baby and everything," Harry grinned.

Dudley kicked the door. "She's away out shopping, so it's just the two of us," Dudley's voice turned cheeky, as if he were planning something. He probably wanted to wind Harry up or something.

Harry sighed and finally opened the door, facing him. 

"I guess so, Dudley," he smiled innocently. "That means anything could happen."

Dudley narrowed his eyes at him, wondering what he was talking about. Harry thought it was amusing how this lump of a boy thought he could scare him. He's practically the muggle version of Malfoy. Arrogant, spoiled, bratty. And means absolutely nothing to him.

"Go make me a sandwich," Dudley said.

"I don't think so. Go make it yourself, I'm busy," Harry said, crossing his arms defiantly. 

"Busy doing what? You've got no friends to talk to!" he snapped. 

"Let me put it this way, Dudley. If you want me to make you a sandwich right now, I will." Dudley grinned triumphantly but Harry continued on with a flat voice, uncaring. "But, just know. I will put a lethal amount of poison in it," he grinned. "I'm not even kidding."

Dudley stepped back. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Go on, try me. See what happens," Harry challenged. Did Dudley seriously think he would joke about this? He's tempted to show him the small vial of Basilisk venom he has left in his trunk right now, but he wouldn't know what it is. 

It's also tempting to tell him that he literally poisoned his teacher to death with the very poison in his bedroom right now, but the swine would have him arrested.

Dudley didn't like being challenged so he growled at Harry and lashed out at him, leaning forward to grab the front of his robes. Harry just quickly jumped back and with impressive reflexes and speed, he slammed the door shut right on Dudley's hand where it was halfway through the doorway and he screamed as it locked in place, with no chance of him escaping. 

He laughed at him and shook his head at the pathetic display. 

"Help! Please! Muuummmy!" he called out for his mother like the child he is. 

Harry rolled his eyes and unlatched the door, letting Dudley fall back flat on his arse and cringed at the blood streaming down his hands. His fingers looked broken and he was sobbing hysterically. 

"Can't you take a hit, kid? Grow a pair!" Harry snapped.

"Y-you t-tried to k-kill m-me!" he blubbered. Oh great, he sounds like Quirrell. Maybe he can die painfully, too. 

"Believe me, Dudley. If I tried to kill you, you'd know. Alright?" he glared.

Dudley sniffed and nodded timidly then got up off the floor, running away to his own room on shaky legs and slamming the door behind him, locking it.

Harry slammed his own door and turned back to Nessie who was praising him. 

**"Well done, youngling. Although, you should have let me bite him. Or made him that sandwich,"** she said.

He nodded to her in consideration. 

**"Do you know what, Ness? I think you're _absolutely_ right,"** he grinned. Maybe his hand might just slip over the holidays...

 **"Of course I am. I'm a snake, I'm superior,"** she hissed cockily, making him laugh.

* * *

Harry lays awake in the middle of the night, the only sound being the sound of Nessie breathing next to him and the turning of the pages.

He had finally gotten into his book, _Understanding Death, Himself. What Lies In The Beyond?_

He was in the middle of yet another moon episode and his muscles ached all over, but after years of taking the Wolfsbane Potion, it had certainly done a fantastic job of easing the monthly pains. He remembers just two years ago, he'd be screaming bloody murder and wishing for death. Even just one year ago! How horrid of a life it was. He still hates this, but he knows it can only get better form now on. At least he hopes...

Tomorrow, he'll find out for sure. And he has Nessie with him for support. That's all that matters right now.

He buries his head in the book and pushes away any lingering paranoid thoughts that man in the bookstore put into his head about death being a person. Death is a state of being, or technically not being. As in, not living. It's not some living consciousness. That's purely hypocritical, is it not? For something that's supposed to signify death, it's now showing signs of being alive? That isn't possible. 

He refuses to refer to "death" as Death, himself. What a silly title for the gullible.

He scoffs at the whole idea and continues reading.

__

_** Understanding Death, Himself. What Lies In The Beyond? ** _

_Many believe that once you pass on from life, that is all there is to it. Nothing more than an empty and lifeless shell that has fulfilled it's timeline and purposes in this world_

_This, in a sense, is true. Your body is nothing more than the hollow version you once were, no longer with a conscious to talk to. It can be a very heartbreaking experience for most people, especially if they're not ready to say goodbye to the one's they're losing, or if they are the one's who are passing and haven't come to terms with it_

_It is perfectly understandable, as it is going into the unknown. We hardly know anything about what lies after we die. We all die in the end, nobody is immortal, no matter how much we try to be. But, when we go, can we tell what the experience was like?_

_Some muggles like to believe so. They call it reincarnation, believing that they had a past life and can recall how they died during it. Or they have techniques called resuscitation, where they are brought back to life by doctors, the muggle version of Healers, when they have been on the brink of their death. They also talk about their experiences they may have endured and remembered_

_Who knows if it is true or not? It may be their brains playing games with them as a coping mechanism due to trauma. Or perhaps, it could be real. The thing is, maybe we'll never truly know_

_But, what if there is something else entirely? What if this is something that doesn't involve muggles and their beliefs, and magicals with their fears and curiosity?_

_There have been many sceptics who believe death is less of a state of the un-living and more of a sentient being. They call him Death, himself_

_People have strong beliefs that when you pass, you may have a greeting with Death and if you're worthy, he'll welcome you into, what some people may believe to be, the Afterlife_

_The Afterlife is believed to be a place where witches and wizards go after they pass and their souls will roam forevermore, if Death allows it. It is believed to be a place of peace and calm, where there will no longer be any troubles or worries_

_Therefore, people say you don't have to fear death. But do they mean the state of being, or Death, himself?_

_Some people don't believe this, however. They believe it to just be a story, due to the sheer irony behind it. They say that something that is supposed to signify passing on, and allow the same with others, could not possibly have the form of something still roaming around_

_Although, many people who have come into contact with Death's Book, or what is also known as 'Understanding Death, Himself. What Lies In The Beyond?' have found themselves mysteriously losing their lives no more than a year later_

_Some people believe this a coincidence, other's believe the book is tainted and cursed by Death himself, so they can join him in the Afterlife, as to prove he is a real existence_

_There have been only a tiny handful of people who have claimed they have actually seen Death, himself, and therefore that is how people have gotten enough information over the years to write about Death's Book. These people who made these claims, however, began to lose their minds and change. Who were once kind people, began to morph into callous people who nobody would recognise anymore_

_It was said that if you came back from death, after seeing Death, himself, you were changed, most likely not for the better, as you weren't supposed to move on from death_

_Some people believe if you are worthy enough after you die, Death would look for your soul and try to give it back to you so you could come back into existence. Others believe he may feed a part of his soul to you, again only if you are worthy_

_A few believe if he did decide to let you come back, you'd be in his debt and have to do some of his bidding, therefore that's why people lost their minds and changed_

_It is wildly and strongly theorised that Death takes you by claiming people's souls, and as said before, if you trick him or persuade him strongly into letting you go free, your soul will be changed, which affects the mind_

_These people claim that the only way they came back to life after seeing Death, was if their dying experience was horrific and involved having a terrible encounter with magical beings who had the ability to take a person's soul themselves, such as Dementors_

_The Dementors would strip their souls bare and Death would have total control to do what he'd liked from there_

Harry gaped down at the book. That was a lot of information to take in and certinally a whole lot more complicated.

So, this is Death's Book, as he realises it's officially called. 

He now feels just a teensy bit of anxiety holding on to it considering what he just read. It was talking about owners having not lived longer than a year. And the man at the bookstore said the same. He knows there's the old saying that you don't believe everything you hear or read in a book, but he couldn't help his stomach from churning and he knew it wasn't from his monthly episodes.

He gulped and got up, locking away the book deep within his school trunk even though that would do absolutely no good. He was still the owner of it. Plus, if he got rid of it, it wouldn't matter. He's already read it, the damage is now done. If this book really is cursed by, dare he say Death, then he's just cursed himself by reading his and his victim's secrets.

He scolds himself for being paranoid. This is exactly the kind of thing the didn't want to happen. Now, he'll never sleep.

He sighs and tugs at his hair roughly in frustration, wondering what to do. He needs a distraction until he feels tired enough to sleep. He won't wake Nessie, he's not mean. And Hedwig is off flying somewhere, most likely looking for mice, as she likes doing that at night.

He casts a Silencing Charm on his room and decides to start practising magic until he feels tired. It's not like he'll get in trouble, anyway, since the Trace is removed.

He conjures a rat and practises the Imperius Curse, just like he did with Weasley in the chamber. He makes it float out the window much to his amusement and then drown itself in his glass of water. He thinks of Summoning the stupid rat Scabbers here and doing the same but Weasley would freak out and he can't deal with some stupid letter here with accusations or something, even if they're true.

He still refuses to call his "friend" Ron until he bucks up and apologises to him for being awful and treating him like dirt. For now, he can live without him.

Eventually, he begins to get tired and Banishes the drowned and dead rat away somewhere else, getting back into bed and falling asleep.

* * *

It was the next day and that of course meant the final day of the cycle, thank goodness. All he had to do was get through this and he'd be fine. 

It was also his birthday and, as always, the Dursleys paid no attention to him. It used to bother him a little because he felt unwanted, but now he hardly gave a damn because he had people who cared to an extent back at school and they were the people he could surround himself with and not want to rip their faces off.

He'd gotten a letter from the Weasley twins, surprisingly, and it wished him a happy birthday. It also came with a picture of them all standing together, minus Ginny, attempting a smile as they wore ridiculous clothing. Apparently they'd won some money and were going to Egypt, Harry had barely gotten through the letter due to the messy handwriting. He noticed Ron looking quite grumpy in the picture, with his silly rat on his shoulder.

There was a message from the twins on the parchment. It read,

> _Harry, we know we haven't been close recently and we're sorry. It's just that Ron is really upset and as our brother we have to put him first, you know? - Fred_

> _After everything that went down in the chamber, he feels more sad than the rest of us, I think... Because he was there and couldn't do anything about it - George_

> _Yeah! And then you leaving Gryffindor tower? It pushed him over the edge and he freaked out then said those nasty things - Fred_

> _Which we're sure he didn't mean. He'll come around, you'll see - George_

Harry scoffed and scrunched up the letter, throwing it in the bin. Did they seriously think this was acceptable? He doesn't care about what the twins think, he cares about what Ron thinks and the fact that he's using his own brothers as a scapegoat for his guilt or regret is pathetic. Harry is livid!

He's expecting an apology letter or an explanation from Ron, himself. Not from the twins to do it for him. How childish and... And cowardly.

Some Gryffindor he is.

He spends the rest of the day in isolation with just Nessie for company, munching on raw steaks he's snatched from the freezer without Aunt Petunia catching him, reading over some books he has and completing some summer homework he remembers to do.

He groans the night away as his personal hell comes, and tears his hair out, glad for his dragonhide gloves otherwise he'd have torn his own eyes out.

What a pitiful birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3


	2. Goodbye Aunt Marge, Goodbye Dursleys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new sense of fashion, taking care of Aunt Marge and her stupid dog, and having enough of the Dursleys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is literally a tag for "Asshole Harry" and "Insane Harry" so I just HAD to add those to this fic 😂
> 
> (if any of the tags bother you, click off because it's not a joke. this story will get dark, just saying...)

By morning, he spots an owl waiting patiently on his windowsill with a letter. He takes it from the bird and opens it. It reads,

> _Dear Mr. Potter,_
> 
> _Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock_
> 
> _Third years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade on certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission form to your parent or guardian to sign_
> 
> _A list of books for next year is enclosed_
> 
> _Yours sincerely,_
> 
> _**Professor M. McGonagall** _
> 
> _**Deputy Headmistress** _

He scowls down at the letter, how on Earth would he get the Dursleys to sign his permission slip? They would never agree! It's not like he could forge it, he doesn't know what their signatures looks like and he hates himself for not learning it.

Then a thought struck him. If they won't sign it, he can just make them sign it, with magic, of course.

_'A little Imperius never hurt anyone too bad... Did it?'_ he was thinking with a grin, not realising his morals were completely messed up.

He decides to do that and looks down at his letter which contains the list of books he'll need. There's a book called _The Monster Book of Monsters_ and he frowned curiously at the name. Will this be something they're learning this year? 

It sounds like something they might possibly study in Defence class, but he can't know for sure. He shrugs and decides to get ready for the day, wanting to go out and buy this stuff as soon as he could before it all gets sold out.

He slicks his hair in a side part then styles it so it stays down, puts on some long, dark grey robes with purple piping and pulls the hood up as usual to hide his face. Nessie hides underneath his clothing, just as she always does. He has his dragonhide gloves and boots on and he looks like an impressive young wizard to be able to see in the streets. He feels confident going out. 

Recently, he's decided to start taking more pride in his appearance considering he's getting older and has to make an impression. Plus, if he's to be in a House full of rich Purebloods who know all about etiquette and fashion, he'd like to fit in a bit more when he goes back.

Much to his annoyance, he takes the stupid Knight Bus back to the Leakey Cauldron which amuses Nessie greatly. Even Stan is excited to see him again, welcoming him back like an old friend. Apparently, he's one of his most popular bus riders.

Maybe because he doesn't have a choice...

When Harry's in Diagon Alley, he decides to do multiple things that day. First thing being, collect everything he needs from his school supply list. He goes around the streets, into stores and spends the next couple of hours spending ridiculous amounts of money on things he probably won't even need, as he'll already know it. Then he finds the monstrous thing that was making him feel nervous. Literally monstrous.

There was a supply of the monster books in Flourish and Blotts locked away in cages as they kept biting at people and growling at them. 

Harry looked at it with trepidation. He thinks he read about something like this a couple of years ago when he first came to Hogwarts and wanted to educate himself on as much as possible, especially things to do with magical beings. If he distinctly remembers, there's a memory of him staring wide eyed at a book that told him if you stroked the spine of a large and vicious looking book, it should calm it down.

He taps the adult next to him and gets his attention. "Stun it."

"Excuse me?" the man asks.

"I'm a child, sir. I can't use magic outside of school," Harry bluffs. He can, as long as he doesn't get caught. "Stun the book, please."

The man sighs and takes out his wand, stunning the book which momentarily makes it freeze. Harry takes his opportunity to go over to it and grab it out the cage, experimentally stroking his finger down it's spine just as it was beginning to recover and making it relax in his arms instantly.

"You did it!" the man yelled with a smile. "How?"

"Stroke the spines," Harry shrugged.

Everyone started nodding in approval his way and it was a lot easier for people to pay for their books once Harry had gone with his.

He'd shrunken everything he had and put them into his robes pocket, then decided he wanted to spend the last remaining amount of money he had left in his money pouch on clothes. 

He seriously planned on burning everything he owned after this was done. He could no longer continue walking around in his silly muggle attire. It was so disgusting, now that he gave it some serious thought. The jeans and t-shirts were so un-trendy and made him look like a messy and dirty boy. 

No way would he ever fit into Slytherin House looking like that.

He had to buck up his attitude towards his wardrobe, immediately. Plus, it might be fun to have a new makeover, he thought excitedly.

He walked down to Madam Malkins and she greeted him as usual. 

"Hello there, what can I do for you today?" she asked kindly.

"Basically, I need a new... Well, everything," Harry shrugged. 

"I'm sorry?" she asked.

"All my clothes I own are far too... Muggle," he said with distaste. "The jumpers and jeans, eugh! They're alright for lounging about, I suppose, but to think I actually thought it was a good idea to go public with that? And in my own school, no less? How embarrassing," Harry said, not realising how downright rude and hateful he sounded.

Madam Malkin sighed and nodded, gesturing towards a stool and told him to pop on it. She sounded as if she dealt with customers like him every day. Isn't that her job, though?

"Why don't you take your cloak off and I'll measure you?" she said and Harry unpopped the button, letting it fall to the floor. She picked it up and sat it to the side, smiled when she saw Harry at first but then gasped when she saw Nessie. 

Harry had completely forgotten she was even there. It was like having an extra limb, most of the time these days. Not a snake coiled around him. He smiled and gently unwrapped her from around him, sitting her on the floor.

"She won't bite," he told Madam Malkin who looked nervous. "I promise," Harry said. Of course, she wouldn't bite unless she made a move on him, which Harry didn't think this lady would.

Eventually, the woman nodded and went back to measuring Harry, pretending Nessie wasn't even there. 

"So, excited for going back to school, Mr Potter?" she asked him after a minute of silence. She probably wanted to move on from the earlier incident where he was a rude little git.

He shrugged. "Dunno. We'll see, I suppose." He didn't particularly want to talk about it but she didn't get the hint.

"Happy to be seeing all your friends again, I'll bet?" she smiled.

Harry scoffed. "Hardly." Her eyes went wide at that. "You can't trust anyone, you best believe that."

"I don't think that's true," she said in a voice which was attempting to sound comforting. It just made Harry angry.

"Well, you're wrong," he snapped. 

"How so?" she asked quietly.

He chuckled bitterly. "I thought I had people who were my friends but they turned against me for the silliest of things. And they're probably sitting in their shabby little house expecting apologies from me. Well, that's never going to happen," Harry spat. 

Madam Malkin turned a bit pale and concentrated hard on her measuring, most likely so she wouldn't burst out with some remark. He could tell she had lots to say but professionalism was making her keep her mouth shut. If she, for one second, was going to tell him that he should just write to him or something... 

He took in a deep breath and smiled calmly. "I'm sorry. I lost my cool there, for a second."

Madam Malkin smiled and nodded. "Quite alright." 

She quickly finished up her measuring and asked him what kind of clothing he liked. He told her he preferred robes where he could pull the hoods up over his face and that he liked dragonhide gloves and boots. She nodded and got it all for him, also recommending some buttoned shirts and trousers, which would look nicely either on their own or with robes. 

He agreed and bought it all, happy it was within his price range.

He ended up leaving with a full wardrobe filled with shirts, trousers and robes of all colours, much to his satisfaction. He'd have fun playing dress up.

Before he left, he noticed there were also little pins that he could use to clip the front of his robes together and he found one with a snake design on it. He bought it instantly, not because it would make him fit in with Slytherin House, but simply because it reminded him of Nessie.

It definitely would help, though.

* * *

Harry was eating some toast he'd snatched the next day from the kitchen with a glare at the Dursleys who were lounging around in the living room, smiling away at the new tv and enjoying their precious time together. Harry sadly had to leave Nessie upstairs for the time being as it was unsafe for her down here. He knew she could take care of herself and him, but he didn't want to risk anything.

Plus, he'd fed her a nice juicy rat he'd Summoned and she was digesting it on his bed, much to his disgust.

"Where did you get those new clothes, boy?" Uncle Vernon asked him with a raised eyebrow, looking over Harry's black formal trousers, shiny dragonhide boots, and silk grey shirt. He looked impressive rather than run down in tatters and rags, especially with his near shoulder length hair parted to the side and slicked down tidily.

He smirked back at the fat lump of a man. "I went shopping."

"With what money?" he bellowed.

"My own?" Harry said confused. "Y'know, the kind my parents left me."

"You- We- Don't talk about that kind of stuff!" he snapped.

"Well, you asked!" Harry snapped back. 

"If I had known-"

"Now you do, so don't ask anymore questions," Harry interrupted, uncaring of manners. 

Uncle Vernon turned red in the face before huffing and nodding, deciding he was clearly right, this time around. Harry smirked triumphantly into his toast.

That's when he heard something odd coming from the tv. 

"...the public is warned that Black is armed and extremely dangerous. A special hotline has been set up, and any sighting of Black should be reported immediately," a worried looking woman on the screen spoke. "The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will announce today-"

"All these people should just be hanged, wouldn't you agree?" Uncle Vernon asked. Aunt Petunia and Dudley agreed, Harry unsurprisingly expecting this reaction from them.

He didn't know who this Black was, nor did he care, but a hanging? Surely, he should only get one if he truly deserves it. The question is, does he? Harry shook himself out of his morbid thoughts and went back to eating his nearly cold toast. He realises these are thoughts he shouldn't even be having. 

_'But this is exactly who I am and there's no fixing me or changing me! I don't even need to be changed!'_ he thought desperately to himself, willing anyone to understand if they could hear him. _'I am what I am, take me or leave me. There's nothing anyone can do about it. This is what you get.'_

He damns the Dursleys to hell for their simple presence making him emotional. Of course, just as he was calming down, things had to get worse.

Uncle Vernon spoke up with a cheerful voice to the rest of his family, completely disregarding Harry. 

"As you all know, Aunt Marge is coming today," he smiled.

"Yes!" Dudley grinned. 

Uncle Vernon then turned a fat finger on Harry. "So, we must set some ground rules. No funny business from you, boy."

"What funny business is that?"

"You won't mention any of your abnormalities!" he snapped.

Harry sighed and nodded to shut him up. "Anything else?"

"And no cheek! To us or to her!" he scolded. "Or, you'll get the punishment of a lifetime. I'm warning you right now, boy."

"Fine," Harry glared.

"I'll be off to collect her. Her train will be pulling up at the station in ten minutes, we'll be back soon. Bright smiles, everyone," Uncle Vernon said.

Dudley was jumping up and down whilst Harry scowled. "How long is that woman staying for?" he spat.

"She will be staying for a week, you ignorant boy! No complaints, at all," Uncle Vernon growled.

Harry just sighed and put on a fake apologetic smile. "Of course, Uncle Vernon."

"Hmm." He walked off towards the front door with heavy footsteps and slammed the door shut, Aunt Petunia immediately getting up and beginning to tidy the rest of the house. 

She glared at him whilst doing so, as if expecting him to help or take over. He just stood in the kitchen, continuing to watch her nonchalantly.

"I'm going to get tidied up for Aunt Margie, okay mummy?" Dudley smiled, running upstairs. Aunt Petunia ruffled his hair and roughly ten minutes later, he came back down wearing a shirt and ridiculous bow tie.

Harry snorted at him. He could probably pull that off, but this lump couldn't. He looked like he belonged in a circus. Oh, wait...

"What's so funny?" Dudley asked with a glare.

"Nothing. I was just clearing my throat," Harry said.

"Whatever," his cousin mumbled.

Harry rolled his eyes and ran back upstairs to get see Nessie, telling her the horrid news. 

**"You mean, there's more of these nasty people under this roof for several more days?"** she sighed miserably.

**"Unfortunately, girl. If only there was something I could do about it,"** he said bitterly.

**"Perhaps, there is. I could bite the wicked woman for you?"**

Harry smiled sadly. **"As much as I'd appreciate that, you'd get into so much trouble. So would I,"** he sighed. **"Remember, even though you've got magical qualities, you're still part boomslang which is technically a muggle serpent. Your venom would show up in their bloodstreams when the doctors ran blood tests."**

**"You're absolutely right. This is just another reason to hate those filthy muggles,"** she hissed in disgust. Harry nodded in agreement. **"Are they all like that?"**

**"I'm honestly not sure anymore, Ness. I would like to think the're not, but nearly every single one I've met have turned out to be scum. Only a rare few have been kind. Although, I guarantee if they found out what I am, they'd turn against me instantly."**

**"Like your "friends" did?"**

Harry laughed bitterly. **"Yeah. Something like that, I guess."**

There suddenly came yelling from downstairs, meaning that wicked woman was here.

"Get the door, now!" Aunt Petunia yelled up to him.

"Ugh," Harry scoffed and got up, heading downstairs with a feeling of dread inside him. He made sure to lock his bedroom door behind him and answered the front door with a fake smile. "Welc-"

Marge shoved her way past him, interrupting his lovely introductions. "Where's my Neffy-poo? Dudders!" she yelled with a smile. 

Dudley came running into the hallway and shoved past Harry, who got Marge's suitcase shoved roughly into his arms. He glowered down at it and was tempted to throw it in the bin. 

"Hi, Aunt Margie!" Dudley said sweetly.

"My sweet Dudley," she cooed, shoving some money into his fat hands. Dudley grinned and Aunt Petunia led them both into the living room to sit. 

Uncle Vernon came indoors a moment later and Harry scowled at him as he was carrying Marge's stupid dog, Ripper. He usually gets along well with dogs these days, considering he's practically the same breed, but he just knew there would be an issue here. Ripper was hardly a dog. He was like a possessed, oversized rat.

As Uncle Vernon walked into the kitchen with a barking Ripper in his arms, he poured Marge some tea. Regretfully, he then sat the dog down on the ground and just as he expected, the thing lunged at him and tried to bite his ankles. Dudley laughed from where he was sitting comfortably on the couch.

Harry growled lowly in his chest and tried kicking the thing away but it just growled back. There was no way he could take an entire week of this.

He scowled and decided to drag the suitcase upstairs, throwing it carelessly in the hallway, not caring if anything broke inside it. Ripper decided to follow him and he heard happy laughs coming from downstairs, as they enjoyed each other's company. Clearly nobody was paying them any attention. 

Harry glared at Ripper. "What do you want, you stupid mutt?" he snapped.

Ripper just growled. 

"You want to hurt me? Is that it, boy? You like causing me pain?" he smirked cruelly. "Guess what? I like doing that, too."

Ripper barked at him and showed off his sharp teeth but Harry just growled loudly himself this time, leaning down and grabbing the mutt by the scruff of his neck tightly, making him whine in pain slightly. He didn't feel sympathy for the dog, at all. He unlocked his bedroom door and took Ripper inside, grinning when he saw Nessie waiting for them.

**"Youngling, what is that repulsive beast you have there?"** she cringed.

**"This is Marge's horrid dog, Ripper. He just loves biting me. Don't you, Ripper? You little pug faced, whiny piece of crap,"** he swore nastily, spitting on his face aggressively. That seems to be a new thing he does, these days. The dog cringed and whined, making Harry laugh. He doesn't usually swear, but being a teenager certinally has brought out a new side to him, lately. 

He was still holding Ripper by his neck and watching him squirm uncomfortably. **"What are you going to do with the creature?"** Nessie asked curiously.

**"That's what I was hoping you could tell me,"** he grinned. 

**"I would eat him but I simply could not digest that, no matter how hard I tried,"** Harry nodded in understanding. She then hummed in thought. **"I may not be able to bite your silly muggles but who's to say other snakes can't?"**

**"What are you talking about..."**

She slithered over to his trunk and started poking her head against it, indicating something inside. 

His eyes went wide. 

**"The _Basilisk's_ venom!"** he laughed. 

**"Correct! Now, who's to say it won't work? There's only one way to find out,"** she said mischievously.

Harry nodded and threw Ripper to the ground, immediately Stunning him when he lunged for him again. He looked through his trunk and after searching for a couple of minutes, he found what he was looking for, buried deep within.

**"I'm almost positive this won't show up. We researched this stuff before leaving school, didn't we?"** he asked nervously.

**"Yes, according to those funky books, it should only show up in people who have magic,"** she said comfortingly.

**"Ripper definetly isn't magic. He's more like a demon and needs an exorcism,** he scoffed hatefully. 

Then he opened up a vial which was filled with the green-yellowish toxic substance of venom and gave it a sniff, immediately recoiling at the smell. He'll never get used to that. He wonders how much it'll sell for. It better be a lot.

He looks down at Ripper and tries to get into contact with his moral compass, he thinks that perhaps he could take the high ground here and let the little thing go with just a warning or forgiveness. 

_'You know that'll never happen,'_ a strange and distant voice in his head spoke up. Huh... These aren't his usual thoughts, not the way they usually work, right? He listens anyway. _'That thing has been tormenting you for years, since you were about five years old! It chased you up a tree and kept you there until midnight. How could you forget and forgive that? Don't be a fool, give it what it deserves.'_

That decided it then, after going down a horrid memory lane that had him clenching his fists in anger. 

He leaned over Ripper with a sympathetic smile and said his goodbyes, before pouring a few drops of the venom in his mouth and down his throat, as that's all you need, it's so potent.

He saw the effects begin to take over almost instantly. He un-Stunned Ripper so he could watch his body writhe in pain, smirking at Nessie as she laughed at his whines. She was just as morbid as him, he honestly couldn't believe he allowed her to talk him into so many things.

She was such a bad influence. He loved it.

After about a minute, Ripper stopped moving and lay there in a pathetic lump on the ground. 

**"Well, that was over much quicker than I thought it would be,"** he mumbled.

**"Next time, try adding more and see if it makes the victim scream more,"** Nessie said.

Harry snorted. **"So, there will be a next time, huh?"**

She just blinked at him. **"Of course."**

He nodded. **"Alright then,"** he said simply.

He scooped up Ripper and decided to take him downstairs, hidden away underneath his robes and threw him outside in the front garden quickly. Hopefully, it would look like he'd been hit by a car or attacked by a bird or something. 

Marge saw him as he came back indoors and clicked her fingers at him. He stopped on his way to the staircase and put on a brave smile.

"Yes?"

"Come clean this up," she said pointing to the dirty plates laying on the dining room table they were eating at.

He let out a loud sigh and went to collect the plates, deciding it would be best to just put them away, otherwise she'd come after him with her screams. He glared hatefully at her, however.

"Don't look at me like that," she snapped.

"Apologies," he said sarcastically.

"Don't speak like that! You're still here, I can't believe it," she scoffed.

"Well, yes," he rolled his eyes.

"Don't say "yes" in that ungrateful tone," she spat. "If you were dropped off on my doorstep, you'd be dropped off straight at the orphanage," she shook her head.

Harry wished the Dursleys had the common sense to have just done the same.

She then huffed and looked him up and down. "Your Uncle tells me you attend St Brutus's, boy?"

Harry looked past her to see Uncle Vernon giving him a stern look and a nod, so he sighed and nodded at her.

"Yeah, of course," he said. "It's a first rate institution for hopeless cases, just like me," he said hiding his amusement.

"Do they use the cane at St Brutus's?" she asked, looking hopeful.

Harry decided to humour her. He put on an obedient face and soft voice.

"Oh, yes! I've been beaten loads of times," he nodded, hiding a smile.

"Excellent," Marge said. 

Harry turned away from her and rolled his eyes. He desperately wants to beat her with a cane until she's a bloodied pulp.

The highlight of his day, however, was when Marge was looking for Ripper as she wanted to feed him some chocolate - doesn't the woman know you're not supposed to feed dogs chocolate? he'd know! - when she started screaming bloody murder. She found him outside, exactly where Harry left him and birds were eating from his body. It was a gross sight to see. 

They couldn't prove anything at all, as he'd been in his room all day, so they didn't catch him with the dog earlier. They were too wrapped up in themselves. 

She's sobbed onto Uncle Vernon's shoulder and Harry just hid his giggles into his palm, locking himself away in his room again. He didn't want to feel her wrath if she somehow decided to come down on him. 

* * *

A few days went by and Marge had her eyes on him like a hawk. It was as if she knew he'd done something and it was unnerving him a little bit. But she'd never be able to prove it and she'd never even asked. Maybe because she was too depressed recently or too scared? He couldn't care less, honestly. 

Harry really couldn't wait until he got back to school so he could get into Severus's potions lab and brew to his hearts content again. He loved the fact that the man gave him permission to use his lab if he wanted, as long as he didn't tell anyone and cleaned up after himself. Maybe, he'll even ask the man to start brewing privately together. They'd made Wolfsbane together but there's still so much he wants to learn.

Perhaps, if he puts on his sweet face, he can convince Severus to teach him new brands of potions he doesn't know about, yet. 

He'd read about a potion called Veritaserum when he was deep in one of his Potions books, and apparently it makes the victim mentally numb and forces the truth out of them. He'd hate to have that thrown down his throat and have all his deepest, darkest secrets torn from his head.

Even if you were a master Occlumens, it would still attack your mind and make you spill your secrets. 

Apparently, it was allowed to be used in court during trials but Legillemency was not, even though you're still seeing into the mind of a person. He didn't understand that part. He'd have to look into it more. Perhaps, it's because someone could twist their memories or they'd lie. 

And, you obviously weren't allowed to use the Imperius Curse on someone to get information because it was an Unforgivable, which would actually land you in Azkaban, yourself. Plus, if you're strong enough, you could break free from it. 

He doesn't _have_ to find any of this out as it's not necessarily important, but he likes having answers to things, therefore he'll try to make it his mission this year to do so. A new challenge, he'll call it.

He would like to brew the Veritaserum as it could come in handy. He's going to be living in the dungeons from now on and who knows how many Occlumens are down there? There are many witches and wizards who come from influential and powerful families, so they're bound to have some kind of gift passed down to them.

If it involves the Mind Arts, he's glad he's an Occlumens because he doesn't want anyone snooping around his head. And if there's anyone of weaker minds down there, he'll find it easy to snoop through their's if the time arises. 

It will always be handy to have the potion laying on the side, though, just in case he needs to slip his hand in someone's drink _accidentally._ For instance, in his bedside drawer along with his poisons, which he vows to make more of as soon as he can.

* * *

Dinner that night was horrid, of course. Harry was sitting across from Marge who was deciding to rip into him by insulting him.

She seemed to be even more cruel these past few days since her stupid dog died. Who cares? Give it up, already.

"What happened to your face, anyways?" she cringed. "Did they do that to you at St Brutus's?"

Harry scoffed. "No! I got attacked by an animal. Completely not my fault, if you must know," he snapped at her. He wouldn't tell her which animal, of course.

It was still a sensitive topic, talking about his scars. He forgot he had them, a lot of the time, which made him feel a whole lot more comfortable. Plus, they'd faded considerably. Not completely, and they never would. But, they weren't bright red like before. Only on full moon nights. Otherwise, they were just a faint skin tone colour.

Everyone at school was familiar with them, too, so they had the common sense to just not point it out and ask what happened and where they came from. But, it was people like Malfoy who didn't have the decency to keep opinions to himself and make silly comments. And then Marge was right there, by his side.

"I bet you wound it up and that's why it lashed out," she remarked. "What was it, a poor dog?"

"Something like that," Harry grinned.

"What are you grinning at, boy? Wipe it off your face at once!" she yelled.

Harry straightened his face and just sipped on some water instead. He desperately wanted to tear her face right off. See how she'd like it.

_'If you do that, you'll be in serious trouble,'_ the distant voice in his head spoke up, making him jump slightly. What the... _'Relax. I'm trying to help you. Don't do anything you'll regret, just eat your food.'_

Harry nodded, even though this voice didn't even have a face, then went back to eating his horrible canned soup whilst everyone else enjoyed a nice roast.

He was a tad concerned right now as to why he was hearing voices, of all things. He thinks he's officially going insane. He thinks it's about time he reads some books on psychology, there must be something in there. Perhaps, he's finally having his psychotic break after all the trauma. Would Nessie know? Maybe a teacher at school? No, he can't ask one of them. They'd consider sending him to the crazy people ward at St Mungos.

"Honestly, Vernon. I don't know why you put up with him. He's nothing but a rotten little brat," she spat.

"I agree," he muttered.

Harry rolled his eyes and continued drinking his soup from the can. He doesn't even get a bowl, for heaven's sake.

"You mustn't blame yourselves for how the boy turned out. It's all to do with bad blood, I say. I'll bet his mother and father had something do with it," Marge grunted. "After all, if there's something wrong with the bitch then there's something wrong with the pup."

Suddenly, Marge's wine glass exploded in her hand and everyone at the table screamed in fear, immediately turning their eyes to Harry as they just knew he was the culprit.

How dare this woman make fun of his parents like that? Even more so, his saint of a mother! He breathed heavily and glared nastily at Marge as she laughed.

"Not to worry. I have a very strong grip," she said, unaware of the magic he just used. Then she pointed to Harry. "You, clean this up."

Harry growled quietly and quickly cleaned the mess up, tossing it in the bin then storming up stairs. He had to see Nessie and be alone right now, otherwise he'd do something terrible and he doubts he'd regret it.

**"Nessie, distract me now,"** he told her as he sat down on the bed next to her. **"I don't care what it is."**

**"What happened, youngling? You are distressed and I don't approve,"** she said, immediately jumping into serious mother hen mode.

He sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. She wanted to talk about it, then. He explained everything that just happened and she was hissing in anger.

**"How dare they? To think I was hiding away up here!"** she said, heading for the door.

**"What are you doing? Get back here, now!"** he told her. **"You can't go out there, Ness. It's dangerous for you. I'll take care of it."**

She shook her head at him. **"You better. Or I will,"** she threatened, and Harry knew she was serious. 

He supposes that was exactly the kind of motivation he actually needed to rectify the horrible situation he was in, once and for all. He would never be able to express his gratitude to Nessie enough, but he knows she understands without words.

"I can't stay here anymore," he whispered to himself and shaking his head. "I have to get away... AAAGHH" he suddenly yelled, feeling frustrated and kicking his door. 

Nessie was watching him with concern but not saying anything. He just frowned and looked through his trunk. He had his wand in his holster which was always on his left arm. He didn't know what he was looking for, perhaps a book to read for distraction? That's when he saw it, his golden ticket out of here. 

It was risky and he had a big chance of the Dursleys trying to get him into trouble. But how could that happen? His plan was foolproof. 

There would be no evidence, he'd made sure of that! The venom doesn't show up in muggles or animals, so he'd be perfectly fine. And when Marge took Ripper to the vet to see what caused his death, they said he must have had a heart attack from all the chocolate and sweets she'd been feeding him.

It would certainly be a shame if poor Marge's heart gave out too, simply because she missed her Ripper so much and her body failed from all the grieving... Right? At least, that's what the coroners will believe.

He walks downstairs with the Basilisk venom in his pocket and slips carefully into the kitchen, pouring a decent amount into a glass of wine and pocketing the vial again. He walks over to Marge and offers her the drink with a timid smile.

"Here you go, Marge," he says. 

"Finally, the boy has learned some manners," she laughs.

"I'm just trying to do what they teach me at St Brutus's," he sighs.

"You better," she nods and takes some gulps of her wine. She doesn't notice the taste because despite the smell, it's practically tasteless, especially if it's mixed with something as potent and strong as alcohol. He turns away, no longer caring about dealing with her and washing his hands in the kitchen sink. It's always a good thing to do after handling something like that, just in case. 

He has no anti venom, and he doesn't plan on making any.

Not a minute later does he hear a choking noise and grins down at his hands, sighing in relief. 

He then hears screaming as Aunt Petunia tries to figure out what's wrong with Marge as Dudley is whimpering in fear. Uncle Vernon is yelling for her attention but after a minute of her gagging and clutching at her throat and chest, obviously having breathing difficulties and feeling the burning go through her heart, she stops moving, lifeless. Dead.

There's silence before Uncle Vernon jumps into action, grabbing the phone and going to call an ambulance.

"There's no point," Harry speaks up.

"What are you talking about?" Aunt Petunia screeches.

"She's dead," he shrugs. "She won't wake." He has a minor flashback, realising he sounds faintly similar to Tom Riddle in the chamber last year when Ginny Weasley was dying.

"You don't know that, now stop talking rubbish! Get out of here, go!" Aunt Petunia yells.

"I know all too well," he smirks.

She eyes him warily before taking a small step back and gesturing for Uncle Vernon to put the phone down, which he reluctantly did.

"What do you mean..." she whispers.

Harry doesn't say anything, just stares at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What is going on here?!" Uncle Vernon screams.

"You didn't have anything to do with this, did you?" Aunt Petunia whispers in shock.

Harry just snorts and quickly runs off upstairs, ignoring their shouts from behind and locks his bedroom door. He tells Nessie everything that just happened and she tells him how proud she is.

He grabs his trunk and feels glad he had all his new clothing still packed away safely inside with his belongings. He takes out the vial from his pocket and stores it in his trunk for safe keeping, shrinks his bird cage and shoves it inside his trunk too, then decides to finally shrink his trunk and shove it inside his robe pocket.

**"Youngling, are you sure all of that can fit?"** she asks bewildered.

He just smiles at her. 

**"You'd be surprised with what magic can do, Ness, trust me. Now, get on."** He taps his shoulder, bending down and she hisses excitedly.

**"Really? Now?"**

**"Of course! We're getting the hell out of here. I can't spend another second, especially after what I've just done,"** he says exasperatedly. 

She slithers on to his shoulder quickly and wraps herself firmly around him. He strokes her scales gently before unlocking the door and finally heading downstairs, showing her off.

They gasp when they see her.

"What is that!" Dudley screams with tears streaming down his face.

"She's a snake, can't you see properly?" Harry scowls. "I've had her for about a year now? And none of you even payed attention to realise she's been here," he laughed.

"Get back, you freak! You killed Aunt Margie, didn't you?" Dudley cried.

Harry rolled his eyes. "And who says that?"

"We just know!" Aunt Petunia snaps ferociously as Uncle Vernon sobs over her body. "How else do you explain it?" she asks stunned.

"She had a heart attack, just like her dog," he shrugged.

Aunt Petunia's eyes narrowed before she scoffed. "What a load of rubbish!" she screamed. "You had something to do with Ripper too, didn't you?!"

"Nothing you can prove," he shrugged nonchalantly.

"You don't even care!" she screamed, hurting his ears.

"Not really," he scoffed and headed for the door. "And I'm also leaving."

Uncle Vernon got up and lunged for him. "AHHHH! No you don't, boy! You're staying right here and I'm going to deal with you the proper way!"

"Vernon, don't!" Aunt Petunia shrieked, looking fearful. "Just keep away from him."

Nessie took that moment to hiss threateningly at Uncle Vernon, making him take a step back.

Harry took his wand out of his holster and pointed it at Uncle Vernon with a snarl, making the man's eyes widen in shock.

"I don't care what happened to Marge! She deserved what she got! Just stay away from me from now on, okay?" Harry yelled. "Or you'll get hurt."

"You won't do anything," Uncle Vernon pointed a finger at him.

"Vernon! Stop edging him on!" Aunt Petunia snapped.

Nessie hissed and snapped at him.

"Yeah? Try me! Go on," Harry challenged, waving his wand at them all, and as Nessie was spitting insults in a language none of the Dursleys could understand. 

"You're such a freak! No wonder we hate you and your stupid parents die-"

Harry cut Dudley's insults off with a quick Cutting Curse on his arm, making him bleed out quickly. He started screaming and clutching his arm. Aunt Petunia went to go get him but one look from Harry had her rooted to the spot.

"I could aim that just a _little_ higher and cut his throat open. Remember that," he snarled. Aunt Petunia nodded then gave a resigned sigh.

"Please... Just leave," she said in a timid voice. She looked scared of him, deathly pale and standing far back in the hallway, away from him.

"Gladly," Harry spat and opened the front door, making sure to slam it as loudly as he could behind him.

Hopefully, he'd never have to see these worthless people ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3


	3. Cursed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mysterious face in the bushes, moving into the Leakey and possibly believing in superstitions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you know anything about numbers and their representations, you'll understand why Harry's room choice is what it is. I'm so inconsiderate and mean lmao

Harry stormed through the streets, robes flowing behind him in the wind in a way that would make Severus proud. 

**"Where do we go from here, Nessie?"** he asked her tiredly.

**"You have that Gazillion money in your trunk, don't you? Why don't you go to the magical world and stay there with your people?"** she suggested.

Harry snorted. **"They're called Galleons. And you're right, like always. Screw this place, I'm done,"** he scowled.

**"So, does that mean..."** she trailed off with anticipation.

**"Yes, Nessie. It does. We're going on your stupid bus ride again,"** he curled his lip in disgust.

**"Fantastic idea,"** she hissed happily. **"Well, go on. Call for the bus,"** she said bossily.

He frowned at her and pursed his lips. He really ought to stop taking orders from a snake, there was just something wrong with that. But how could he refuse her? He did promise, after all. And he never breaks his promises to those he cares about. 

If it were someone trivial like Hermione, for instance, he'd gladly do so. Sure, he could sometimes admit to her being a friend, but that's on a good day. At most, in general, he sees her as an ally. She's just so annoying, it's hard to keep up and not want to hurt her, when she might not truly deserve it. He's being kind here. 

And most recently, Ron, who is supposed to be his best friend. What even is he now? Still his best friend but they're just fighting? Drifting apart now? His brothers did say he'd come around but they weren't always the brightest, so who's to say they knew the best?

Was Ron the enemy now? Harry would scoff at that idea if he actually really considered that, which he is flat out refusing to. No way! They may be bickering but they're not Harry and Malfoy. It's a different dynamic, they're just at each other's throats for the time being. Does this mean if they decide to start talking again, he could potentially just be an ally? 

The thought stings, thinking that the person who he thought he could share almost anything with as he stayed up all night as they shared a dorm together, now only throws insults in his face and will probably only see him in classes and across the Great Hall during meals.

He shakes himself out of his drifting thoughts and is about to get out his wand from his holster when his ears pick up something. Its's a low growling noise coming from the distance which peaks his interest. He distinctly identifies it as a dog, his instincts just tell him so.

He looks around for the low growling and sees, far away in the bushes, a pair of bright eyes watching him intently. If he focuses even harder, he can hear it's hard breathing, as if it's been running for a long time. 

At first, he has a small flashback, thinking of the first time he heard the breathing in the bushes underneath the bridge before the golden eyes jumped out at him and started clawing at him and biting him. He was confused at first until he later discovered it was a werewolf. But, he gets no signs of this being a wolf in any shape or form, magical or otherwise. 

He's been around both and he knows what their presence feels like. This just feels like a regular old mutt, like Ripper.

He stares back at it and after a minute, he narrows his eyes. It doesn't look like it's ready to attack and he doesn't feel threatened in any way. However, even if he did, it's still just a dog and he's a wolf, he could easily take it down with just a flick of his wrist, even in his human state. He's biologically hardwired to have increased strength which is a blessing, as he easily kicks people's arses in fights. Malfoy in the bookshop springs to mind.

He pats his leg and makes cooing noises at the dog. "Come here, boy. Want to play?" he says cheerfully.

**"This is pointless, it's just a mutt. Kill it like you did with the other one,"** Nessie scowls.

**"Hush you, don't be rude,"** he scolds her. Always thinking of death, that girl.

**"What? It's true..."** she muttered. **"Did you feel bad about it?"**

Harry pouted. **"Of course not."**

She looked at him triumphantly.

The dogs eyes go wide and makes a curious high pitched, whining noise.

Harry smirks at it. "That's right, doggy. I can speak to snakes. Can you speak to snakes?" he asks it. "No, I bet you can't," he taunts. "Because you can't even speak to humans," he laughs.

The dog cocks it's head to the side and eyes him up and down, as if trying to understand him. It makes another whining noise like it's trying to speak but obviously it can't. It doesn't look too happy, either. If he didn't know any better, he'd say the dog looks kind of sad or disappointed.

"C'mere, I promise I won't hurt you," he pats his leg again but the dog refuses to come out of the bushes.

**"Well, I can't promise that,"** Nessie whispers to herself. 

Harry smirks at her. **"Pfft. What are you going to do? Eat it? You didn't even eat Ripper, you big liar!"**

**"Because that dog was _disgusting!"_** she argues with him. **"Who knows how this one will taste?"** she asks.

**"You're serious?"** he asks with a raised eyebrow. She nods and Harry sighs, sitting her down on the ground. **"Go on, then. If you think you're up for the challenge,"** he laughed.

He turns back to the dog and sighs. "You're in for a real treat, mutt. Get ready to run," he laughs. The dog's head cocks to the side in confusion then it's eyes go wide in fear as it sees Nessie come slithering towards the bushes quickly, hissing obscenities and ready to attack. The dog lets out an aggressive bark towards him and Nessie then quickly takes off into the dark, neither of them seeing where it went.

Nessie whines, complaining that her dinner was gone, making him bite his lip to hide a giggle.

She comes back over to Harry and he picks her up, letting her wrap herself back around his shoulders before he gets back down to business, holding out his wand and watching as the Knight Bus appears less than five seconds later.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this eve-" he cuts himself off with a massive smile. "Evan! It's you again!"

"Yeah, hi..." he mutters, walking on board regretfully whilst Nessie hisses happily. 

"And you've brought your little slithery friend," he nods towards Nessie who he's grown fond of these past few bus rides.

"How could I not? This is usually her idea," he sighs.

**"Hush, you know you love it,"** she hisses.

"Not in one million years," he mutters.

"What'd you say?" Stan asks. "Million what?"

"She'd probably want to do this for one millions," he smiles.

"Aw, that's so kind," he laughs. 

A few seconds later, the bus took off with a loud BANG! and Harry held on to one of the railings. 

"Same place as usual, Evan?"

"Yeah," he muttered.

"Why you wanting to head to the Leaky at this time, anyway? Ain't it a bit late? Don't you have a bedtime?" Stan raised an eyebrow.

Harry glowered.

"No, not at all. My relatives don't care what I do."

"Wicked. So, you could get away with murder, then," he laughed sarcastically.

Harry snorted. If only he knew. He decided to play along.

"You could say that," he shrugged. 

Stan then turned to the tea tray they always had. "Fancy some warm milk? I know you hate your hot chocolate, though I still dunno why," he sighed.

Harry pursed his lips. "Just never have. I'll take the milk, though," he said. He was feeling kind of hungry. The Dursleys hardly fed him enough as it is.

He sighed in content as he drank his warm milk and grinned as Nessie decided to try some. She blinked in surprise at the flavour, deciding she liked it and Harry was nice enough to share it, much to the amusement of Stan.

Stan had gotten out a copy of the Daily Prophet and started reading it, grimacing down at the pages. On the front cover, Harry saw an aggressive looking man with sunken skin and long, black, shaggy hair. He was also wearing handcuffs and wearing an awful prison uniform. He looked familiar.

"Who is that?" he asked Stan, pointing to the man.

"Where have you been? That's Sirius Black!" he exclaimed. Ah, so this was the man who was on the muggle news not too long ago. "He's an escaped convict from Azkaban."

He gave the paper to Harry and it read,

**BLACK STILL AT LARGE**

Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today

"We are doing all we can to recapture Black," said the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this morning, "and we beg the magical community to remain calm."

Fudge has been criticised by some members of the International Federation of Warlocks for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis

"Well, really, I had to, don't you know," said an irritable Fudge. "Black is mad. He's a danger to anyone who crosses him, magic or muggle. I have the Prime Minister's assurance that he will not breathe a word of Black's true identity to anyone. And let's face it, who'd believe him if he did?"

While muggles have been told that Black is carrying a gun, a kind of metal wand that muggles use to kill each other, the magical community lives in fear of a massacre like that of twelve years ago, when Black murdered thirteen people with a single curse

Harry's eyes went wide and he handed the paper back. "How'd he blow up thirteen people at once with one curse? That's ridiculous."

"Well, he's mad, isn't he? And dangerous! They say he was going to be You-Know-Who's right hand man," Stan said with wide eyes. "He just blew up the entire street and started laughing about it, even as the Aurors took him away and arrested him. Laughed all the way to Azkaban, they say."

"Hmm." Harry thought the guy really was a lunatic but to be fair, it was quite impressive that he'd managed to blow up thirteen people at once with just one single spell. That takes some serious talent and power. He might hate the guy and what he stands for, but he's got to give him credit for his magical ability. "How do you think he even got out?" he asked. "I heard it's the most guarded prison ever."

"Oh, it's supposed to be," Stan said. "The guards of Azkaban have never let anyone get past them before so it's an absolute wonder how this happened. Nobody has ever achieved it and possibly nobody ever will again," he said with shock.

Harry just raised an eyebrow. "The guards? Couldn't he have just punched one in the face or something?" he laughed. "What's so special about the guards?"

Stan shook his head. "Of course you don't know, you're still young," he sighed. "The guards of Azkaban aren't people."

"Then who are they?" Harry asked with confusion.

"Not who, but what," Stan said. "They're called Dementors," he shuddered. "Ever heard of them?"

Harry thought hard. The name distinctly rang a bell when he'd searched up all different kinds of magical creatures in Hogwarts Restricted Section books a few years ago, but he just closed them because there was too much for him too read at the time. He planned on going back but just forgot. Perhaps that Monsters book he'll be learning from in school this year will teach him something.

He also remembers reading something about them in Death's Book, they fed on people's souls somehow. He still didn't understand how any of that worked properly, however. He needed to thoroughly research.

"They suck on your soul... Right?" he said with a wince, realising he sounded pathetic.

Stan didn't seem to care about his lack of knowledge, however. This made him feel a whole lot better. He just smiled and nodded at him.

"Something like that, yeah. They can do a few things, actually. They feed on souls and can leave your bodies as empty, hollow shells, if you apparently have no use to them," he explained with a frown. "They also make you relieve your absolute worst memories, by stealing your good ones. It's a horrid way to go, and often they kill you this way, making your heart give out from fear and shock," he took in a deep breath and whispered the last part. "They say that if a Dementor gives you, what they call, the Dementor's Kiss you can meet Death, himself in the Afterlife."

Harry paled and wrung his hands nervously. This sounded strangely familiar.

**"Youngling..."** Nessie hissed, concerned for him. He just ignored her and focused back on Stan.

"It's a load of rubbish if you ask me," he scoffed. "Honestly? I really do think a Dementor just steals your happy memories and makes you relieve your worst fears because it's trying to give you a heart attack and steal your soul," he shrugged with a frown. "But some people say, when they steal your soul and still leave you alive, just empty and hollow," he gulped, "they think they just do that because perhaps you've not got enough happy memories for them, so they just steal your soul and leave the body."

"This is all so morbid..." Harry whispered.

Stan nodded regretfully. "Yeah, exactly. Awful things, they are. But they guard Azkaban and they drive the inmates insane. Can you tell why?"

"They steal the prisoner's happy memories?"

"Correct," Stan nodded. "So, how would Sirius Black get out?"

Harry honestly didn't know. After reading what he did from his book and hearing about them from Stan, he was growing more and more impressed yet cautious of Black every second he thought of him.

"Is there any way to get rid of a Dementor?" Harry asked.

"There's only one way," Stan said. "It's called the Patronus Charm. Or the incantation is Expecto Patronum," he smiled.

"That actually sounds familiar," said biting his lip.

"Interesting. Well, it's a happy spell to have learned. It fends away Dementors. Because they feed on darkness, a Patronus is filled with light and happiness, so it scares them away," he grinned.

"I get it, now."

"Good."

"How does it work?" Harry asked curiously.

"Dementors take away your happiest memories, so you have to think of your happiest memories and put it into the spell. Then it'll come out into the shape of an animal that personally represents you," Stan shrugged.

"Like a spirit animal?" Harry asked. "Muggle phrase," he sighed.

Stan grinned. "Probably. I haven't learned it because I was too much of a prankster at school..." he trailed off with a snicker. "But that doesn't mean I didn't still find it cool."

"I might want to try it," Harry thought.

"Give it a go," Stan shrugged. "Knowing you, you'll probably end up with a snake," he laughed pointing to Nessie, who hissed pleasantly.

If Harry did master this Patronus Charm, he'd be more than thrilled if a snake was his animal to appear. What else could it possibly be?

Eventually, the bus stopped with a big BANG! and Harry was thrown forward quickly, smacking his face hard into the window. He groaned loudly and winced as he pulled away. He has a habit of doing this, the same thing happened when he was in Ron's stupid car before his second year. No, no more thinking about him.

Nessie was asking if he was alright but he was too busy wiping the blood off his lip to answer. He gave the money to Stan and jumped off the bus, heading immediately into the Leaky Cauldron.

Nessie slipped underneath his clothing as he walked through the door.

Tom greeted him like usual, with a friendly smile.

"Harry! Lovely to see you. But, what are you doing here so early? It's not even five in the morning," he asked.

Harry realised the sky was a faint pink colour, he'd been out way longer that he expected but he hardly cared. He was just glad to get away from those monsters, and that's coming from _him!_

"Can I stay in a room here for the next couple of weeks, just until school starts back up?" he asked.

"What about your relatives back home?" Tom asked curious.

"I'm trying to be more independent these days, and they think it would be a great idea if I'd spend a couple of weeks to myself," he smiled, lying easily. "They know where I'll be and I'll be sending Hedwig off to them all the time with letters."

As if.

"That's a wonderful idea! You're turning into such a mature young man," Tom patted him on the shoulder. Harry chuckled. "I'll go see what I can do. You stay right here."

After about a minute, Tom came back and told him room seven was available, so he nodded and followed him, still not showing Nessie. He paid for the room at the door and finally un-shrunk his trunk from inside his pocket, putting it in the corner then collapsed on his bed.

Nessie slid off his shoulders and lay next to him. He stroked her scales gently.

**"I think this is incredibly foolish,"** she sighed.

He eyed her strangely. **"What do you mean? What is? You encouraged me to do all of this!"** he said upset.

She shook her head. **"Not running away from those muggles, that was a great idea. I meant staying here in this room,"** she whispered.

Harry frowned. **"Is it not up to your standards?"**

She nodded her head towards the door. **"Didn't you see? The number on the door. It's seven."**

**"So?"** he asked, not understanding.

She let out a frustrated huff. **"You're supposed to be smart... Don't you know anything about numbers? Lucky and unlucky ones?"**

He looked towards the door then back at her. **"Well, when kids were on the school yard during my muggle times, before Hogwarts, they'd say silly stuff, I guess,"** he shrugged.

**"Like?"**

**"Like, six six six and stuff to do with the Devil,"** he scoffed.

**"Exactly. It's to be taken seriously, youngling,"** she said seriously. He just eyed her like she was crazy but she hissed at him. **"Don't look at me like that."**

He sighed. **"I'm sure we'll be fine, Ness. It's just a number for the superstitious. I didn't know you were one of them,"** he grinned. 

She laid her head on his chest. **"Not superstitious, just cautious. They say that the number seven represents people who come into contact with ghosts or omens, and it also represents death."** Harry went stiff at that but realised he was being paranoid and relaxed a few seconds later. **"It also means that if you break a mirror, you'll get seven years of bad luck which will affect your soul,"** she said casually.

**"That's rubbish,"** he snapped quickly. 

Okay, maybe he was being a little defensive, but he was beginning to get stupid ideas in his head that'd he'd rather not talk about anymore. He loved Nessie and would give up anything, even magic for her. But sometimes, she could be a right pain in his arse and he wants to use a Silencing Charm on her. 

But he'd _never_ do that. On people, gladly. On his precious Nessie, no. He'd rather cut off his arm that was going to cast the spell.

Instead, he just rolls over and shuts his eyes, attempting to fall asleep. She knows him well by now and so she just snuggles up behind him and says nothing more, letting him drift off in peace.

* * *

He woke up hours later with a mixture of noises and sensations going on around him. Firstly, he hears cooing noises and when he looks to his window, he spots Hedwig sitting on his windowsill. He doesn't know how she found him, but he's glad she did.

Then there's the soft knocking on the door and a tickling on his face. He blinked his eyes open and Nessie was licking at his face, encouraging him to wake up as someone was at the door.

He listened and realised it was Tom.

"Mr Potter, would you like to come downstairs for some lunch? You've slept a good while," he said. Harry looked out the window and noticed the sun had indeed risen high in the sky, it was no longer the crack of dawn anymore. He also noticed he was bloody starving and his stomach let out a loud growl.

He got up to answer the door, smiling at Tom. "Sorry, I just got up. Sure, I'll be down soon."

"Terribly sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay, you did me a favour, otherwise I'd have slept all day," Harry laughed. Tom smiled. "Listen, um..." He didn't know how to put this properly. Best to just come out with it. "How do you feel about pets?"

Tom's eyes went wide and he blinked. "Well, as long as they're non violent and tidy, I don't see the problem. Is it your owl?" he smiled. "It's welcome, of course."

Harry shook his head. "No, it's not Hedwig. Well, it is, thank you. But, it's something else," he sighed, wringing his hands. Tom just eyed him curiously. "Everyone at school is aware of her, they are completely comfortable with her, by now. That's because we're bonded and she's allowed on the premises," he smiled.

"Oh, really?" Tom asked. "I'm curious to see which animal you've formed such an interesting bond with. May I see? Is it in there?"

Harry nodded and went inside his room to collect Nessie, allowing her to wrap herself around his neck. She acted as timid and docile as possible for Tom's sake, she sure knew how to put on an act. Harry smiled at the man and gestured to her.

He gave her some playful pecks on the face and she licked him, nudging her face up against his and acting sweet and cuddly.

"See? She's as harmless and playful as as a kitten," he said. Tom gulped and and took in a shuddering breath.

"What's it's name?"

" _Her_ name is Nessie," he smiled. 

"Right, of course. And is she venomous?" he asked anxiously.

"She only bites her rats, mice and rabbits. I assure you, you have nothing to worry about," Harry said firmly, not actually answering the question properly. 

She really was venomous, it just depended on who she used it on.

Tom seemed to take this answer pleasantly and nodded, agreeing that is was okay for her to stay. He asked that he just make sure she doesn't slither off on her own as some people might accidentally step on her. He vowed to keep her wrapped around his neck at all times, which suited them both fine.

The man then went back downstairs and Harry closed his door to get cleaned up and change his robes as they were worn and crinkled. He quickly summoned a juicy rat for Nessie to eat whilst he was getting ready.

He took a quick shower then slipped into some black formal trousers he loves, a dark purple shirt and a long black robe over the top with some shiny silver piping. He fastened it with his snake pin. He slipped on his dragonhide boots and gloves then slicked his hair backwards and then into his side part, which suited him handsomely.

**"You look fancy, youngling. I almost wouldn't recognise you in the streets if I didn't know you started dressing like an upper class citizen, these days,"** Nessie said impressed.

**"Thanks, girl. I've been trying my best. I'm glad the hard works paid off,"** he sighed relieved. He felt confident to go back to school, now that he wasn't dressed in unattractive muggle clothes. What was he thinking? He wasn't. 

He picked Nessie up and let her wrap herself around his shoulders securely, heading downstairs to see Tom laying out a plate of food for him.

"I was wondering when you'd get down here. Your food is going to get cold," he smiled.

"Sorry," Harry said sheepishly and dug into his cheese toasty with a cup of tea. He let Nessie drink some of his tea and rolled his eyes at her demands that it needed more milk. She seemed to have a new fascination with it since Stan got her into it on the Knight Bus earlier this morning.

He's pleased that he doesn't need to abide by the Dursley's stupid rules anymore. He feels free and carefree, like he can do anything and nobody can tell him no. And that's because he can. Later on, he takes the entrance into Diagon Alley and starts walking around, looking for things that interest him. Which doesn't happen easily.

It bothers him that so many people are laughing and smiling here, clearly having a good time as they buy things from different shops. Yet, he's standing in the middle of the Alley with a frown and wondering why he's just so _miserable_ and having the worst of times. He just wants to leave, the energy here just isn't right. He sighs and thinks about heading back to the Leaky when his eyes catch sight of a dark tunnel. 

It's the usual entrance to Knockturn Alley. Something peaks his interest, then. He bites his lip and pulls his hood up, making Nessie hiss out a protest as she was enjoying the fresh sunlight but now she's covered up.

He walks cautiously down the dark Alley in search of something - anything - when he sees the familiar shop from before. It's the one that sold him Death's Book.

He takes in a deep breath and walks over, peeking in through the window and feeling glad nobody else was in there. When he steps inside, he rings the bell on the counter and not even a minute later, the shopkeeper from before comes out.

Harry hasn't lowered his hood but somehow, it seems as if the man knows it's him.

"You read the book, didn't you?" he grins. Harry stays silent and just listens to what the man has to say for himself. "Oh, you did!" he laughs.

Harry scowls. "What does it mean?"

"You know what it means. I told you before you bought it," the man says.

"I know that!" Harry snaps. "But it seems as if something strange is happening, I can't explain it..." he mutters to himself.

"Does it feel as if something is following you? As if imminent danger looms over you all the time?" the man asked with a grin.

"Pfft, stop it with your intimidation tactics!" Harry snapped. "I just want to know why that bloody book kept talking about Dementors and meeting Death, and then I have the exact same conversation with a teenage boy on a magical bus who just so happens to know all about it. It seems a little-"

"Coincidental?" the man raises an eyebrow.

"Strange," Harry frowns. 

"And has it never crossed your mind that the man who escaped Azkaban has escaped from the very place which is guarded by Dementors?" the man said with a curious look. 

"So?" Harry asked with narrowed eyes.

"So. That means they'll be furious and out searching _everywhere,"_ he laughed. "Just be careful you don't get caught by one. Now, that would definetly be unfortunate, don't you think?" he raised an eyebrow then snorted. "Like I said before, once you purchase and read the book-"

"Shut up, already!" Harry snapped rather childishly.

The man held up his hands. "Hey, you came to me. Why is that, hmm?" he challenged.

"I- uh..." Harry honestly didn't know. He just did it on a whim, thinking it was a good idea.

"You wanted answers," the man stated. "You might not want to admit it. You might not have even realised it. But, I can tell you're curious and slightly afraid, you want answers."

"I'm not afraid of anything," Harry crossed his arms.

The man smirked. "We're all afraid of something."

Harry sighed. "I live in a sort of hotel right now, long story, and the room number-" he cut himself off with a cough.

"Yes?" the man asked.

"It's seven," Harry said in whisper.

The man laughed at him hysterically, leaning on the counter for support. "And you still don't believe me? I told you the book was cursed."

"Yeah, by Death, himself, right?" Harry snarled.

The man nodded. 

"Do you know what the number seven represents?" he asked.

"I've recently been told, you don't have to repeat it!" Harry snapped. "What do I do? I feel like I'm going crazy," he started muttering to himself. "Surely, this is all in my head. It's coincidence!" he suddenly yelled frustrated and kicked a nearby book aisle. 

"Hey, don't take it out on the shop!" the man shouted.

"It's your shop that did this in the first place!"

The man frowned. "It was not. I warned you, beforehand. You didn't have to buy it."

"I felt pulled towards it," Harry muttered quietly. "Like I needed it, somehow. I wanted to read it desperately, as soon as I saw it on the shelf."

The man's eyes widened. "Mysterious. People only get attached or pulled towards objects when there's a very strong reason for it being so. It's never just random, the object would have to be somewhat sentient."

"And you're saying that Death's Book is?" Harry laughed pitifully. "Of course it is. If Death's soul or something is part of it."

"Well, yes," the man shrugged. "I guess that is what I'm saying."

Harry just nodded, done with the conversation. He was apparently going to die by the end of the year anyway so what did any of this matter? Either this is a whole load of rubbish and he's made himself incredibly paranoid over nothing, which he hopes is the truth, or it is in fact true, and he's living a cursed life now.

He thinks it's pathetic to think that, anyway. He's already living a cursed life. He's a hideous monster, a werewolf. If anything, death would come as a blessing to everyone.

"I think I'm just going to leave," he says flatly.

The shopkeeper sighs. "How old are you, anyway? You're small enough to be a ten year old, yet you talk as if you're a thirty year old."

"I'm thirteen," Harry said with a shrug.

The man's eyes widen considerably. "Salazar..." he whispers in shock. "You're just a kid."

Harry shrugs again, not sure what he's supposed to say. 

The man quickly pulls himself together and throws on a casual smile. "Hey, I'm sure you've always been right, you're wise beyond your years, aren't you? It's just a load of bollocks," he laughed. He was clearly trying to cheer him up and Harry appreciated that greatly, even if he was as mad as a hatter at times, laughing at death.

"Right," Harry nodded and eventually left the shop without a backwards glance.

His ears could distinctly pick up the shopkeeper mumbling to himself from outdoors, however. "Poor kid... Liked that strange, little guy..."

Harry grumpily heads back to the Leaky Cauldron, just wanting to be alone. He felt on the verge of a panic attack right now and being around people wasn't helping. 

He shouldn't have went in there, it wasn't the right thing to do. 

When he got back into his room, he started pacing the floor and Nessie watched him concerned from her place on the bed.

**"Youngling, come sit down. I don't like it when you're like this. You'll set the floor on fire with your constant fast walking,"** she sighed.

He stopped and stared at her, trying to take her words in. He was pacing a bit too much. He gulped and slowly sat down next to her.

**"I need to throw the book away,"** he said.

**"Then do that,"** she said in support.

He growled and tugged at his hair. 

**"But I can't!"** he said frustrated. **"There's still so much I need to figure out."**

**"But if it really is cursed-"**

**"Then we have nothing to worry about because I've already doomed myself the moment I bought it, right?"** he said sarcastically. **"I can only go forwards from here,"** he sighed.

She shook her head, irritated. **"We're just tired, youngling. This book means nothing. The crazy man fed you a crazy story and a crazy book, that's all,"** she said comfortingly. **"Then your relatives made you run away and that man broke out of prison and has gotten you stressed. Also, that boy who makes the good milk on the fun bus didn't help with his scary stories, either,"** she said with a gentle tone.

Harry wiped his wet eyes and nodded.

**"But that's all they are, stories. Then they got made into horror stories in this silly book to scare people, but they can't hurt you, okay?"**

Harry nodded again. **"What about my door?"**

**"It's just a number,"** she said.

**"Okay,"** Harry sighed and sniffed. He really loves her, she's always so good to him. He gives her a gentle kiss and she hisses in contentment. **"But if any more funny business happens..."** he says in an anxious tone of voice.

**"Don't worry, youngling. Everything will be fine,"** she said reassuringly.

Harry chose to believe her.

* * *

It was a few days later and he was getting out of a shower when it happened. He accidentally tripped on his towel on the ground, caught himself on the sink so he wouldn't fall down on the ground, but his other hand lashed out and smashed into the mirror above the sink. 

He cringed at the noise at first but that was the least of his worries. He was glad he wasn't bleeding, too. What bothered him was the fact that when he stood up to check the damage, the entire mirror had cracked. He bit his lip and when he touched a piece of the glass, it let out a screeching noise before all the pieces fell apart and into the sink below.

He'd broken a mirror. That meant seven years of bad luck on his soul, right? 

He teared up and ran out the bathroom, immediately telling Nessie what happened. It took her about an hour to calm him down and by then, his hair had dried naturally with no product which meant it was fluffy and curly, sticking up in every direction. It would be cute, in a teenage muggle boy way. But, he's trying to be a respectable young wizard. He won't stand for fluffiness.

So, for the time being, he spent the next hour sorting his hair out in the mirror, which he had now repaired thankfully with magic, in order to calm himself down.

A little while later, he began feeling oddly sick, muscles aching and head hurting. He'd also had a strange craving for meat recently when Tom would ask him what he wanted. It wasn't until a familiar grey owl landed on his windowsill holding a package with his three vials inside, did he remember with a horrifying jolt what time was coming up.

"Dammit, I completely forgot! Such an idiot! So stupid," he growled to himself hatefully as the bird took off. 

_'Don't be so hard on yourself, child,'_ the voice in his head spoke up, making him gasp. _'These things happen. Now, drink up and relax for the next few days. It's needed.'_

"Who are you?" he asked the empty room, frozen in shock. Nessie was asleep and he recognised her voice so it wasn't her.

_'A friend,'_ the voice spoke softly. 

"I don't have many of those," Harry snapped. "Show yourself! I don't like hearing you but not seeing you."

_'I'll be seeing you soon. Or rather, you'll be seeing me,'_ the voice said.

"What are you talking about? Explain!" Harry yelled. He was glad nobody was around to see him screaming at thin air. 

_'Have patience, child. You'll be greeting me like an old friend, soon enough.'_

"Old friend?" Harry whispered to himself, beyond confused. There was no more from the voice and he was thankful for that.

He felt like he needed to be sent to a psych ward, this wasn't the first time he'd heard voices. He'd heard them twice back at the Dursleys. He thought it was over by now, though. He thought since he was away from them, whatever it was would have stopped. Clearly he was wrong.

What was it, though? Who was it? And why?

No, he refuses to even start thinking about it. After everything going on, he doesn't need to add "literally going crazy" to the list of "crazy things happening around him" right now.

He just has a vivid imagination, that's all. Nothing more. No need to worry Nessie any more than he already has, she doesn't need that. 

He chugs back a nasty vial of the Wolfsbane Potion and relaxes back on his bed, looking down at Nessie lovingly.

He doesn't know where he'd be without her. That's another thing he refuses to think about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3


	4. Anger Management

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A moon night is nearly here, a massive fight breaks out and Harry being sassy and rude.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry's a little shit isn't he lmao, I love writing him

It had been a couple of weeks since Harry had first started staying at the Leaky Cauldron and he decided to go out on the streets when Tom told him there was a surprise going on in Flourish and Blotts. He was curious to find out so he raced down Diagon Alley to check it out.

Everyone was gathering around some people who were trying to make some decent money by selling a new broom called the Firebolt. Harry thought it was quite cool and would consider buying it, but with Malfoy playing Seeker this year in Quidditch, what would be the point? Unless he dropped out or - graciously enough - gave him the position, he's not going to waste his money.

Harry knew he was a better Seeker than him and Flint had said last year when they first made introductions in the common room that if he has any Quidditch talents, he's to come straight to him. Harry wanted so badly to just go and tell him the skills he's got, purely to rub it in Malfoy's face.

He doesn't even care about competing against his old Housemates. He _likes_ Quidditch, it doesn't matter to him who he's playing either for or against. He just likes being on a broom and feeling the rush of air on his face and the thrill of catching the Snitch.

If he somehow made the team and the Gryffindors decided to come after him, he'd make sure to strike like the snake he truly is. He won't get talked down to.

He notices the people in the bookshop also gathering around those silly monster books and he laughs in amusement. They're all screaming as they try to grab one and a lady ends up with bitten fingers and she reaches for a snarling one in a cage.

"Does anyone know what to do?" a frustrated man asks. "What about you, kid? You getting these books this year?"

He just shrugs. "Sorry, sir. I've never seen these things before in my life and my mother said I've not to talk to strangers," he said, walking away from the man. He doesn't want to deal with this. It's not his responsibility. They're the adults.

Just as he's heading for the door his eyes catch something, making him halt and gulp. He picks it up and it's got a layer of dust over it which he blows away.

Its a large, black book which reads,

_Unfogging the Future_

"What is this..." he whispers to himself. He shoves it back quickly then looks around, spotting yet another book, quite dusty as if nobody has touched it, either. This one reads,

_Death Omens - What to Do When You Know the Worst Is Coming_

He pales and takes a shaky step back. 

"There's no way," he whispers again and shakes his head.

Nope, it's all just a strange coincidence, that's all. Nothing more.

Nessie senses his distress. **"Leave, now,"** she hisses urgently from underneath his black robe.

He nods to her and quickly takes off out the store, stomach churning. He makes sure to whisper in English.

"Why did I find that book out of every single one?" he says with a shortness of breath. Anxiety attack, not good.

He leans against a wall and tries to control his breathing. 

**"I'm not sure, youngling. I'm sure it's nothing. Just coin-"**

"Coincidence, right," he laughs bitterly. He rubs his eyes and frowns. "Death Omens aren't even real," he chuckles. "What am I thinking?"

Nessie nods and decides to whisper soothing words to him as he strokes her scales underneath his robes. Eventually the panic subsides and his breath comes back, although the sick feeling is still there.

That could also be counted down to the fact that tomorrow he's about to go through a transformation and needs to be alone, loaded up on potions. If he misses even one, he'll turn into a snarling beast.

**"Let's get back indoors, youngling. You look tired. Mr Tom can give you some steaks,"** she says.

He laughs at her name for him and nods, heading back in the direction they came from. 

Everything was going well and he was feeling much calmer until-

"HARRY!" a loud yell came from behind him. Oh god, he recognised that squeaky voice anywhere. He took in a deep breath and turned around slowly.

"It's you," he said simply, not knowing what else to say.

She just rolled her eyes playfully. "Well, of course it is. Who else?"

Harry shrugged and rubbed his tired eyes. "Dunno. Um, nice to see you again but I've got to get going. Places to be, it's important," he said. It honestly was.

"Oh, you're staying at the Leaky Cauldron, aren't you?" she asked happily.

He eyed her warily. "How on Earth did you know that? What'd you hear?" he said.

**"Calm,"** Nessie hissed.

"Well, after everything that's being going on with Sirius Black escaping, my parents thought it would be a very good idea if I stayed in close contact with magical people for safe keeping, just in case he somehow decided to attack me if he found me. They could use magic, y'know? I can't because of my age," she sighed.

"Right," Harry nodded.

"So, we agreed on the Leaky Cauldron as it's pretty safe and has rooms to stay in. Then Tom said it would be good because you're here!" she smiled.

"Right, he told you," he said tiredly.

"Um, there's something else..." she muttered.

After a minute of silence and just standing in the middle of the street, he snapped. "Well? Spit it out, Granger! Please?" he added more gently when she looked stunned.

She nodded and continued. "The Weasleys were out shopping and ran into me. They found out what I was doing and thought it was a great idea, what both of us were doing, actually. And you know that Mr Weasley works for the Ministry, so he'll do anything to protect his family," she bit her lip.

"Yes?" he narrowed his eyes. 

She let out a long sigh. "He's decided to move his family in to the Leaky for the next couple of days, too."

"What?!" Harry couldn't help but bellow out.

Hermione held up her hands and looked at him sympathetically. If he didn't know any better, it was as if she expected this reaction. "Please calm down," she said quietly. "Like I said. It's only for the next few days until school starts back up."

"And _he_ will be there," Harry spat.

She frowned. "Ronald's your best friend, just as you are his. You're both just in a bad place right now."

"Granger. He said I was a traitor to him and to Gryffindor House. Do you realise how insulting that is?" he snapped.

She nodded and sighed. "I understand."

"No, you don't!" he growled. "You don't get what it's like to think you can trust someone to the moon and back, not caring about something as trivial as the colour on your robes to come between you, when it seems it does. He's a discriminatory git and I always knew this but pushed it aside because I wanted to see better in him. I was an idiot," he scowled, reprimanding himself.

"Harry-"

"I was supposed to be in Slytherin House since our first year but do you know why I ended up in Gryffindor? Because the Hat talked with me and gave me a choice." Her eyes went wide hearing this. "I wanted to see what the experience would be like because my parents went there and I knew Ron would be there so I wanted to be with my best friend," he sighed. "But none of that matters now."

"I'll try and have a talk with him," she said.

"No point in trying to talk to someone who doesn't have a brain," he sneered.

"Come on, that's not very nice," she frowned.

"He practically said I killed his sister," Harry glared. "I can be unkind."

She gulped and picked at her fingers. "I think he's just grieving because he was there and-"

"And I was the one who literally watched her die," Harry said. "But poor Ron. We must feel so bad for only him," Harry put on a sad face then scoffed. He was bored of this by now and really tired. He needed to take a nap. "Whatever, I'm heading inside."

She stood wide eyed behind him, he could feel her eyes on him as he stormed off but didn't hear her voice yell out. Thank goodness. He wouldn't turn around. 

He stormed inside and didn't see the Weasleys here yet, meaning they were probably packing up their junk from home. He stormed upstairs and slammed his unlucky door shut, locking it behind him. Nessie, yet again, offered comforting words as he fell into a restless slumber. She promised to wake him up a few hours later.

* * *

**"Youngling, wake up. You have to eat and take your funky juice,"** a hissing voice said in his ear.

He groaned and clutched at his stomach. It let out a big _growl._

**"See?"** Nessie said.

He sighed and nodded, getting up and chugging his vial of Wolfsbane Potion back with a gag. He realised he'd been asleep much longer than he anticipated as the sky was dark outside.

"Jeez... Stomach's killing me," he muttered to himself and got up, changing into some new robes which were a deep purple this time and less crinkled. **"How long was I asleep for?"** he hissed to Nessie.

**"Long enough that the sun set,"** she said. **"You have to start taking more care of yourself, right now,"** she snapped.

He nodded. **"I know. I'm just so exhausted and confused lately, I don't understand anything,"** he sighed.

**"You're not still worked up over that, are you? Because, it's not worth it."**

He frowned at her. **"I'm trying not to be."**

**"You have to stop reading silly books. I suggest you stop reading altogether."**

**"Then how will I get an education?"** he laughed.

**"I shall teach you everything you need to know, as I am a snake and therefore know everything,"** she said cockily.

**"Hmm, I shall remember that offer,"** he said nodding.

His stomach let out another big growl and he winced, deciding to head downstairs and greet Tom. The man smiled at him and offered him some dinner which he gratefully accepted.

"Listen, Tom. Do you perhaps have any raw meat? It's for Nessie, she has an acquired appetite," he shrugged.

"I thought she ate rats?" Tom asked.

"For breakfast," Harry smiled. "At night she usually eats something raw. I'm used to feeding her it back home and she's been living off rats these past couple of weeks but she's growing restless now," he sighed sadly.

Tom nodded sympathetically. "Of course. She's a sweet thing," he smiled. "I'll be right back." He came back a minute later with some raw mince and Harry grinned, taking it away into somewhere private, saying he didn't want anyone to be grossed out by a snake digesting. 

The reality was, it was for him. When he was alone, he grabbed the mince with his bare hands and shoved it in his mouth, groaning at the sensation, uncaring of the blood dripping down him.

He ate for about two minutes before Nessie told him to clean himself up, which he did with a flick of his wand. She nodded in approval, sliding back under his robes and he felt much better. She was used to seeing his monthly episodes so this hardly bothered her anymore, much to his relief.

He walked back to Tom and handed him the bowl back, telling him she enjoyed it.

"I still can't believe a snake eats meat like a human does," the man says shocked.

"Well, she's not like other snakes. She's magical," he grinned and walked into the main dining hall to eat the proper food Tom had left out for him. It would be rude to reject it now, so he dug right in.

Not long later, after he'd finished, he heard some familiar voices that had him rolling his eyes. He was glad he had finished eating so he could get up and leave.

The voices stopped him in his path, however.

"Harry, it's you! How good to see you," Mr Weasley spoke up.

"Yeah, hi," he muttered back.

"Oh, Harry dear! You've grown, although not by much," Mrs Weasley said with a chuckle, pulling him into a tight hug. He went rigid and tried to pull back with a small cringe.

"Nice of you to point out my height," he said flatly. How blunt were these people? He's never realised before.

"Oh, I'm not making fun. You're just so small and cuddly, like a bear," she grinned.

"Hmm," he frowned. "I hate bears. They're aggressive and eat people." 

Mrs Weasley frowned.

_'Perhaps, that's what attacked you then. Ever think of that?'_ the voice said.

_'Stop it! I was attacked by a werewolf,'_ Harry mentally scowled.

_'I know, I'm just playing,'_ the voice had the audacity to chuckle.

He paid attention to Mrs Weasley again.

"Well, I know you'd never eat another soul," she eventually smiled, trying to lighten the tension.

He held in a snort, she's very wrong there.

_'I know what will eat a soul,'_ the voice said.

Harry growled. "Shut up."

Mrs Weasley's eyes went wide. "I-I'm sorry?"

Oh, he must have said that out loud. "What's up? I mean, with all of you," he asked casually, trying to act as if he gave a damn.

She smiled brightly and went on to explain things he already knew due to Hermione. 

"Do you need to collect your school books?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I got everything a couple of weeks ago."

"How did you manage that?" Hermione's squeaky voice spoke up from where she came around the corner with everyone else.

He frowned. "I got my letter and decided not to be an idiot, waiting until the last second. Not that difficult a concept to grasp."

She sighed and nodded, resigned with the answer.

"You don't have to be stuck a prat about it," Ron's bitter voice spoke up as he cradled Scabbers.

"Ronald Weasley! Manners," Mrs Weasley scolded him.

"What? He started it!" Ron said, pointing to him.

"Oh, did I?" Harry spat.

"Yeah, you did."

"And do please tell me what it is I did, exactly," Harry glared.

Ron grit his teeth. "You know what."

"I really don't, Ronald. You'll have to be specific," Harry frowned. "I speak two languages, but not idiot." 

He wasn't going to point out that Parseltongue was his second language, even though that would have been such a slap in the face for him, which he'd enjoy very much.

Nessie could tell something was the matter and wanted to come out to defend him, but a single stoke of his hand on her body had her relaxing. All he had to do was say the word, though.

"How dare you! Take that back!" he yelled defensively.

"Hmm, no," Harry pouted his lips.

"Boys, why don't we just-" Mrs Weasley tried to break it up, but with a more stern look in Ron's direction. However, she was interrupted by Mr Weasley who put an arm on hers.

"Just let them fight it out, dear. They need it," he said softly.

"But, they're at each other's throats," Mrs Weasley said frantically as the boys began to throw insults back and forth at each other.

Mr Weasley just sighed and shrugged. "They're teenage boys. As if something like this wouldn't ever happen," he smiled sadly.

Mrs Weasley pursed her lips and frowned before nodding, reluctantly agreeing and just staying back, letting Harry and Ron have their petty fight in the middle of the Leaky Cauldron.

The twins watched in fascination, grins on their faces as they winced at Harry's morbid yet impressive insults and laughed at Ron's insulted face. They clearly enjoyed seeing their younger brother being taken down a peg. 

"Bloody hell, Harrykins," Fred spoke up.

"Never knew you had such a sharp tongue," George grinned.

Percy was shaking his head in embarrassment whilst Hermione was frowning and looking just as disappointed as Mrs Weasley, however she decided to speak up. "Enough, both of you!"

"Be quiet!" both boys yelled at her in unison, making her scowl.

"I don't see how you can't just admit to what you did!" Ron yelled at him.

"What did I do? Enlighten me, please," Harry glared.

"Don't make me say it, you little-" Ron cut himself off with a cough.

"Little what? What's the end to that sentence?" Harry challenged, taking a confident step forward. Hermione's eyes went wide in anxiety but the twins were giggling, ready for a fight.

"Just, uh..." he muttered. "I was gonna call you a little freak."

There was silence before Mrs Weasley's whispered voice was filled with horror. "Ronald!" She still didn't interfere, however. Mr Weasley was still holding her back, as he knew this wasn't their fight.

"Freak?" Harry spat. "Like the name my relatives have called me all my life? Because they don't accept me for who I am? That secret I told you in confidence?!" he finally screamed. He couldn't help it, tears formed in his eyes. Damn Ron to Hell and back. He sniffed but blinked them back, holding his head up high and putting on a brave smile. "Y'know what?"

Ron glowered. "Tell me what."

"You're not my friend," Harry said simply.

"Harry, don't do this," Hermione tried to rectify the situation but he ignored her.

"I can't be friends with someone who's mean and cruel like this," Harry sighed.

Ron laughed. "You're one to talk! You're the one who abandoned me after my sister left, don't you remember that?" he spat. "Thinking that was okay. Then you make new friends and sit at another table. You're acting differently, too!"

Harry threw his hands up in frustration. "You're such an idiot. It wasn't my choice what happened at school. I didn't choose this, this time around. I went where I went and that's it. It's only a stupid piece of clothing, Ronald, it's not the end of the world! As for friends, they're my dorm mates, I've got to talk to them. And I've got to sit with them in the Great Hall, it's the rules," he sighed. 

"But-"

"As for acting differently, I'm the exact same," he said crossing his arms. "The only difference is that I'm very angry these days and that's because of you," he glared. 

"I can say the exact same!" Ron snapped back.

"Like I care," Harry spat, getting the last word in, rather cruelly.

They both just stared at each other, breathing heavily and not saying anything more, probably because they didn't have anything more to say.

There was silence for a solid minute before Tom decided to come into the room, holding a tray of hot tea and looking sheepish but otherwise trying to hold a smile.

"Anyone for drinks? They're on the house."

He was obviously trying to relax them all and Mr and Mrs Weasley smiled at him, taking their cups, as well as the twins, Percy and Hermione. The only two left were Ron and Harry who were still standing facing each other. Ron scoffed and walked over to get his tea, chugging it back. Harry's bones and muscles hurt so he just left his tea, storming upstairs and locking himself away in his room.

He distinctly heard Ron's mumbled voice all the way up the stairs muttering childishly, "walked off like a big baby..." and then Mrs Weasley ripping into him.

He didn't walk away because of pettiness or childishness, or whatever Ron might think. He just needs to be alone right now, and he's in a lot of pain in his hands, back and neck, where the bones and muscles are prominent to being used often therefore hurt more during this awful time. 

As soon as he's alone in his room, he bursts into horrible tears, from both mental, emotional and physical exhaustion. Everything was just too much.

Nessie comforts him as he curls up into a ball on the bed. 

**"It's alright, youngling. It'll be over soon,"** she says soothingly.

He wants to believe her but everything is proving difficult right now. The paranoia and fear instilled in him due to that book, what Stan said, the sight of the omens books in the store, breaking the mirror, the number seven on his door, even hearing the strange voices.

It's as if the world is against him right now. 

And the thing is, he has nobody to turn to except Nessie. It would be good to have some advice from another human at times but they'd probably laugh at him or pity him. They might even think he's crazy.

He just cuddles closer to Nessie.

* * *

Harry couldn't sleep that night. He knew he should have been in bed but he was just so agitated that he needed to leave his unlucky room, as he now called it and went for a walk. He went downstairs where the bar was and saw Mr Weasley sitting there reading the Daily Prophet. 

"Ah, Harry. You're still up," he smiled. 

"Yeah, couldn't sleep," he shrugged.

"How about about I get Tom to make you a nice cup of hot chocolate? That should settle your nerves."

Harry shook his head. "I hate chocolate," he cringed.

"You're the total opposite of my boys, then. They never stop," the chuckled.

"Right."

Mr Weasley put down the paper and turned to him. "I want to apologise on behalf of Ron earlier today, he's not normally like this," he sighed. 

Harry refused to look at him due to awkwardness. "It's fine..."

Mr Weasley shook his head. "No. It's just... After everything that's went down, with Ginny," he took in a shuddering breath. "We've tried our best to get things back to normal. We even went to Egypt. We've put on our best smiles and we've been doing a good job so far. She'd have appreciated that," he smiled sadly. "But Ron, he feels more responsible."

"Why?"

"Because he was down there in the Chamber of Secrets and couldn't save his only sister so he feels as if he's let her die," Mr Weasley sighed.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Yet, he's always screaming at me. It's not like _I_ chose to let her die," he said in a sharper tone.

The man's eyes widened. "Heavens, of course not Harry! Nobody would ever insist you did." This calmed Harry, considerably. "This is all so silly."

"Agreed," he mumbled. There was silence for a minute before Harry looked to the paper. "They still haven't caught Black yet?" he said, pointing to the raggedy looking man on the front cover.

"Not a sign, unfortunately. But, trust me, the guards of Azkaban will get him, mark my words," Mr Weasley said fiercely.

Harry nodded.

"Crookshanks, come back here boy!" Hermione's voice suddenly spoke up from around the corner. She was running around in a pink night robe and looking frantic. "Oh Crookshanks, where are you?"

"Who is Crookshanks?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

She jumped when she heard his voice. "My cat," she said in a sad voice. "Earlier this evening, right after you went to your room, I went to go buy an owl from the animal shop down in Diagon Alley, but I saw this really beautiful ginger cat just sitting there. Nobody wanted him, so of course I had to take him," she smiled.

"And?"

"And I don't know how, but he's somehow managed to take off!" she ran a hand through her bushy hair. "I was getting ready for bed and I turned my back for just a second..." she whispered to herself. "I was going to come downstairs and get some milk for Crookshanks but I left the door open just a crack as I was putting on my gown. He jumped out the door and now he's gone."

"Maybe he went into the kitchen to make himself some warm milk," Harry shrugged.

"That's not funny," she scowled.

"Meh," he pouted.

She glared at him and continued looking around under the tables and chairs, making kissing noises cats loved. "Crookshanks, come here boy," she whispered.

"Granger, is he a kitten? Because if he is then he's probably off playing with some string somewhere," he snorted. "If he's a fully grown cat, you've nothing to worry about. He'll show up again, they know how to take care of themselves."

"He's a Kneazle, does that count?" she asked.

Harry's eyes bugged out. He hated those beasts! 

He was most definetly sure Mrs Figg owned them, if his memory serves him correctly, and that's why those cats of hers always try to kill him.

_'I seriously have to stay in a hotel with that thing for the next day? Kill me now,'_ he thought. He was glad he doesn't have to share Gryffindor Tower with her anymore, though.

"Ugh," he remarked. "Those things are horrid and mean. No wonder it ran away," he said.

She crossed her arms. "Oh, you mean like you?" she said.

He gasped. "Excuse me?"

"You're so up and down all the time," she frowned. "I can't keep up with you. You're like a human roller coaster."

"Pfft, that's the farthest thing from the truth," he rolled his eyes. He wasn't human, that's why.

"No, it's not. One minute you're kind and talkative, the next you're rude and insensitive," she said.

"Maybe some people just can't take criticism or they're too soft," Harry spoke with certainty. "And those people need to buck up."

"Who are these people?" she asked confused.

Harry looked her up and down with a raised eyebrow.

She got the message. "How dare you!"

He let out a small chuckle. "Exhibit A."

"You really ought to apologise, you know. You can't keep going around and talking to people like this, it's downright ignorant," she reprimanded. "I thought we were supposed to be friends?"

"Exhibit B."

"What?" she frowned.

He sighed. "You think everyone is supposed to like you, don't you?" he gave her a sad look. "Well, I hate to break it to you angel, but the world isn't always that kind and there are definetly going to be people who hate you whether you like it or not. Believe me, I know," he said.

"What have I ever done to make people hate me?" she asked in shock. "I try my hardest at everything, I do my best. I get the best grades at school-"

"Exhibit C," he said with a smile, interrupting her. "You're too cocky and that's a downfall. You're hardly the cleverest student in the school, know why? Because I got better grades than you," he grinned.

"You did not!

"Yes, I did. Two years in a row now," he shrugged.

"What do you mean two years?" she asked. "The exams were cancelled our last year after everything that went down with the Petrifying."

Harry sighed. "That just proves you're an idiot. Exhibit D. You lack ambition and resourcefulness, both of which I have. No wonder I'm a Slytherin," he grinned. "I sat my exams during the end of our second year and I passed all of them with Outstandings."

She gasped at this. "But how?"

"Simple. I just went to the teachers and told them I wanted to take the exams," he laughed. "Do you think I went to the Ministry and filed some complaints? Or cast Dark Magic on McGonagall or something?" he raised an eyebrow. "No, I just asked and they said yes. Then I passed, like the brilliant student I am," he smiled confidently.

"So, I could have-"

"Yes. But you didn't," he said over her. "And I'll pass all my exams this year, too. Which will be literally all of them."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you catch on? I'm taking every class," he shrugged. "It's entirely possible if you have the brains, which I do," he said.

"That sounds like a great idea," she gasped. "So, this means I could take Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, the Study of Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies-"

Harry waved his hand. "Yes, I'm aware of the syllabus, Granger," he snapped.

She frowned. "Sorry for being excited."

"Go be excited in your own time and space," he waved her away. "Now, enough of this. I'm bored of your presence. Go find your stinky, orange cat."

She shook her head in frustration before storming off in search of Crookshanks.

Mr Weasley cleared his throat from behind him. "Harry, that wasn't exactly the best way to handle the situation, don't you think?"

Harry shrugged. "Probably not, but it's too late now. Nothing to do about it, unfortunately."

"Well-"

"I'm much more tired now, thanks. I'll head off to bed, goodnight," he said and ran upstairs to his room. If Mr Weasley attempted to tell him apologising was the way to go, curses would be thrown, Ministry Official or not.

He closed his door tightly when he was in his room and smiled down at a sleeping Nessie, got cuddled up next to her and fell asleep.

* * *

Everyone was running around frantic the next day as they were getting ready for going back to school. Harry had woken up early and packed all his stuff, he didn't want anyone fussing over him.

Whilst he heard the Weasleys and Granger fumbling around with their stuff, he and Nessie enjoyed a nice breakfast together. 

He realised that the Weasleys didn't know about her yet. The only people who did were Granger and Ron, and even they hardly paid her any attention. He supposes he ought to break the news. 

They come downstairs to eat with him after a while and he clears his throat awkwardly, tapping Nessie gently, allowing her to emerge from underneath his black robes. There were gasps from around the table.

"I realised I haven't actually told you about her, yet," he shrugged. "This is Nessie."

"That's a snake," Fred said with wide eyes.

"A big one," George gaped.

"Well, yeah," Harry nodded. "They already knew about her," he said pointing to Ron and Hermione. "Tom, too. And basically everyone in our school is beginning to find out," he smiled at her. "They're starting to like her."

"Is she even allowed on the school?" Percy asked cautiously.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Of course she is, Percy. The Headmaster understands our bond and allows it."

"Bond?" Mr Weasley asked curiously.

"Yes. She's my familiar, not a pet," he told them. She hissed in contentment as he stroked her lovingly.

Ron looked how he always did when she was around - nauseous. He scooted away and refused to look in their direction, muttering to himself.

"What was that, Ronald?" Harry asked him.

Ron scowled, speaking up. "I said it's stupid to have a snake!"

"Oh? Why's that?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because, they're- they're slimy and they hiss!"

Harry frowned at him. "Common misconception. Snakes are, in fact, not slimy at all. They're very smooth, silky and shiny. So shiny it may look watery or "slimy", as you say," he said rolling his eyes. "That's also why they move so easily on the floor, because their scales are so soft. It just gives the impression of "sliminess" because they slither so easily. But they shed their skin every few weeks, which is dry," he sighed. "Remember the Basilisk?"

Ron ripped his toast in half, clearly angry at being one upped by him. 

"Yeah, well, it shed it's skin and it was about thirty feet long. Super impressive," he grinned. "Also, super dry. And when I saw it in person, it was really smooth, that's why."

"Whatever," Ron muttered.

"Fascinating," Mr Weasley said and Harry smiled. At least someone was interested. 

After breakfast, everyone decided to get their things ready, grabbing them from their rooms. Hermione had found Crookshanks in the early hours of the morning and the stupid thing had not taken well to him, just as he expected it to.

As Harry was in his room and about to shrink his trunk to hide in his pocket, he overheard voices in a distant room down the hall. He couldn't help but be nosy and listen in. It was Mr and Mrs Weasley and they were arguing about something. He thought about just walking away and letting them have their little domestic issue to themselves, when he heard his name.

"-has every right to know!" Mr Weasley said.

"I don't want him going back to school worried something may happen. He's already dealt with so much, what if this pushes him over the line? He's only thirteen!" Mrs Weasley spoke worriedly.

"I think he'll be mature enough to handle it, he's not stupid."

"I never implied he was! In fact, he's the complete opposite of that," she said.

"Exactly. He's brilliant and that's why Black wants to get rid of him. He sees him as a threat. After all, he took down You-Know-Who," Mr Weasley said gravely. "If Black thinks that getting his hands on Harry means that he can kill him and make that maniac rise again-"

"Don't say such things, Arthur!" Mrs Weasley said. "Is that what they're saying at the Ministry?"

"They're trying to keep it all hushed up, but yes," he sighed. "Apparently he kept yelling in his cell, "he's at Hogwarts" over and over again. Then he escaped, so they know who he's coming after."

"He's just a boy," she whispered sadly.

"Don't worry, Molly. The guards of Azkaban will be surrounding the school this year, nothing can get in, I assure you," he said reassuringly. 

"You mean-" she gasped.

"Sometimes, you have to work with people you don't really like," he said grimly. "But it'll pay off in the end, you'll see."

Harry stopped listening and quickly shrunk his trunk, shoving it into his pocket like last time and composing himself. 

So, Sirius Black was after him then? That doesn't surprise him in the least. At least he knows all those Dark Curses and has his poison if the time arises. 

It also helps that he's a werewolf and can easily rip the man's throat open, so he's not _too_ worried. Anxious, yes. But scared, no. Actually, most of all he's just angry. Angry with everything and everyone.

He knows who Mr Weasley was referring to when he said the guards of Azkaban. He meant the Dementors. What was the Headmaster thinking? Allowing soul sucking creatures to surround the school? He really is batty.

He steps downstairs and stands with everyone else who has their trunks and bags in their hands.

"Where is your stuff? Didn't you bring anything?" Hermione asks.

He rolls his eyes and pats his pocket. "Magic, Granger. I'm not a common muggle."

She frowns at him and looks down at her stuff. "Can you teach me?"

He grins at her. "I thought you were the smartest person in the school? Figure it out for yourself. I did," he said and turns away from her red face.

"Everyone ready?" Mr Weasley asks. When he receives a chorus of nods he smiles and heads for the door. "With me."

Harry's still bitter that he's not allowed to go to school by himself, by both Tom and the Weasleys. They all think it's best he has some company, although he can now tell what the real deal is.

He simply sighed at them when they suggested it and nodded reluctantly. 

He despised the fact that he was going to have to travel with Ronald of all people. And to make things worse, Hermione's stupid cat Crookshanks, which insisted on hissing violently at him.

He desperately wishes to tell her werewolves and Kneazles do not mix, but obviously that conversation wouldn't end well.

He just holds his head up high as he leaves the Leaky Cauldron, Nessie coiled around his neck underneath his robes and listening to her soothing words as he also tries to ignore the body pains that still wrack him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3


	5. A Talk With Dementors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going back to school, a random man in a compartment and dealing with Dementors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer to update and that's because I was trying to decide which way Harry should go. I already know the plot I have planned for him but I just don't want people to freak out over why he's acting the way he is these days
> 
> Basically you have to remember this was NEVER intended to be a fluffy wolf story - he was always going to turn into this cold and callous, darker character as the books went by. You can see it start from book 1, it's character development. I hope I've done it correctly!
> 
> as for the Dementors, check the tags, they're my own version because canon version is so boring. I wanted to do something a little different. I hope you find it interesting :)

There were Ministry cars waiting to pick them up, much to Harry's shock. Something to do with Percy and being Prefect, also Mr Weasley with his job - he didn't really care to listen.

The ride in the car to King's Cross was somewhat better than the silly Knight Bus, even if Nessie was grumpy the entire time, hissing away in his ear although nobody knew.

For some odd reason, Mr Weasley thought it would be a great idea to put Harry, Hermione and Ron together in one car. He clearly wasn't the brightest. Harry scowled and sat as far away from them both as he could, pushing himself up against the door and creating a massive space between them.

Hermione's cat was hissing furiously at Harry and so far, she thought it was due to both Scabbers and Nessie, who Crookshanks must be scared of.

But Harry knew the truth and that was that Crookshanks was irritated by him. Just as he was with the stupid cat. 

"Crookshanks, it's okay boy. You can get out on the train," she told the cat when she managed to get him inside a wooden basket. 

"As if!" Ron yelled from the seat next to her. "I'm not letting that thing anywhere near my Scabbers, it'll eat him," he said, holding the rat closer to his chest.

Hermione scoffed. "Please! Crookshanks would never want to eat something as dirt as that smelly old shoe brush."

Ron gasped. "Take that back, Scabbers is family."

"So is Crookshanks!"

"You've had him for just a day!" Ron said with wide eyes. "I've had Scabbers for twelve years."

"Will both of you just shut up?" Harry snapped from where he was sitting on the other side of Hermione. She was trapped between both boys. "Nobody cares about your stupid cat, Granger. And Ronald, I'm pretty sure she's right. As much as I hate the Kneazle, I doubt it would want to eat your precious Scabbers considering the amount of times I keep telling you to give the thing a bath," he scowled.

Hermione chose that moment to look smug. Despite the fact that Harry had insulted her cat, he still stuck up for her and she appreciated that. It was also amusing for her to see Ron's stunned face. But that soon turned into irritation. He leaned over Hermione and she leaned back into the seat, sighing.

"Actually, now that I think about it, I don't have to worry about Crookshanks. I should probably be worrying about the snake you've got on your shoulders there," Ron snarled pointing to Nessie.

Harry glared. "Don't say anything about Nessie. Insult me all you wish, I don't care. But come against her and you'll regret it."

He saw Hermione's eyes widen a fraction, whereas Ron just narrowed his.

"What are you going to do, huh? Make it bite me?" he challenged.

"You know she's venomous," he raised an eyebrow. "Right?"

"Okay Ronald, stop it now," Hermione whispered into his personal space. She must have known the situation was getting out of control.

Harry wouldn't actually set Nessie on him, not any of them, it was just an intimidation tactic he loved to use. But, Ron didn't need to know that.

"He started it, like usual!" Ron snapped.

"How did I?" Harry questioned. "You were the one who was yelling in her face about your stinky rat and insulting her cat and then I simply tried to break it up," he shrugged.

Ron scowled and sat back in his chair, turning away from him. "You never take responsibility for your actions."

"Yes I do. Watch. I tried to be civil with my so called friend, stayed under the same roof as him. Twice actually," he said, pointing to the car. "See? I took responsibility. But instead, he made me feel dead inside," he snarled.

"Such a big baby!" Ron whined.

"Stop it, both of you," Hermione sighed.

"Fine, because I'm the bigger person, I'll gladly stop," Harry said.

Ron snorted. "Bigger person, please. You're tiny," he said cruelly, going straight for the insults.

Harry just clenched his fists and ignored him. Hermione chose to do the same.

The rest of the car ride was in awkward silence until they reached the train station, where Harry immediately jumped out to get away from them. Mr Weasley was all smiles as he stood with the rest of his family, unaware of the argument that just took place. 

"Ready to go?" he asked them as they walked onto the platform and they saw the gateway. 

The three of them let out murmurs and he nodded, letting them all go through one at a time. Harry held on to Nessie, smiling at her happy comments as she saw all the birds and the giant train. 

**"It's not as fun as the-"**

"I know," he whispered back to her. She was going to go on about that bloody bus again.

Mrs Weasley was handing out sandwiches to the twins whilst Percy took off to sit with the other Prefects in a private compartment. Whilst she was hugging Ron and Hermione, Mr Weasley pulled Harry aside.

"Can we talk? It's important," he said to him quietly.

"About what?" Harry had a feeling he knew where this might be going.

"It's about Sirius Black," Mr Weasley sighed.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I already heard you and Mrs Weasley talking about him earlier," he said.

"You did?" Mr Weasley's eyes went wide. "This isn't how I wanted you to find out..." he muttered. "Listen, you have to promise to stay safe."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to let him get to me or anything, I'm not stupid," he scoffed.

"Harry, this man is dangerous. Promise me you won't go looking for him or anything," Mr Weasley said desperately. 

Harry raised his eyebrows in confusion. "Why on Earth would I go looking for someone who wants to kill me? I would actually like to live," he said seriously.

Mr Weasley nodded, satisfied somewhat with the answer. "Good."

"Arthur, stop keeping him over here! The train is about to leave," Mrs Weasley's loud voice yelled over to them. She quickly hugged Harry and he took off onto the train in search of a compartment. He didn't care about where the other's were, he just wanted to sit down. His body still hurt.

Some people jumped out the way when they saw Nessie, who still chose to lounge on his shoulders and hiss at anyone who bumped into him too roughly. He'd grin at them and just walk off.

Most of the compartments were filled up already and he let out an aggravated growl. He noticed there was one compartment left and the only person inside was a man, yet he was fast asleep. 

**"Maybe, you could use this compartment to sit in? He won't even know you're here,"** Nessie said helpfully.

"You're probably right," he said back.

**"Or he could be dead,"** she said as he walked into the compartment and shut the door behind himself, locking them both away. He was free to talk to her naturally now.

**"I think he's alive, Nessie. His chest is moving,"** he said, pointing to the man's sleeping form. He seemed to twitch a bit violently when he spoke to Nessie, however he settled back down after a moment. He must just be having a bad dream.

**"Pity,"** Nessie hissed sadly.

He rolled his eyes at her and sat down across from the man, letting Nessie sit on the chair and relax. He stroked her scales soothingly and she hissed in contentment. Then the train let off a massive whistle, gave a jolt and suddenly they were moving onwards. 

After about five minutes of relaxation, where Harry just leaned his head against the window and shut his tired eyes, there came some banging from the door. He let out a growl and cracked open his eyes, looking towards the glass door to see who it was.

"Ugh," he spat when he saw Hermione standing there with a basket and Ron behind her with Scabbers in his hands.

"Open up, please," Hermione said.

He got up and slammed the door open. "What?"

"Can we come in?" she asked. "There's nowhere else," she sighed.

"No, this compartment is full," he snapped and went to slam the door in their faces when Ron just barged in and sat down next to the guy.

"You don't own the compartments!" he yelled at him.

"Oh really? How about we go back in time and I say that to your rotten face when you kicked me out the compartment, huh?" Harry said bitterly, reminding him of the end of second year when Ron told him their compartment was full, therefore he had to go sit with Theo and Blaise.

"That was different," Ron said.

"How?" Harry gaped.

"You deserved to be thrown out, traitor," Ron glared.

"Ron!" Hermione gasped.

"I always knew you were going to hold this over my head!" Harry yelled.

"Uh-huh," Ron nodded.

"You just can't handle the fact that you're going to have to do things on your own from time to time," Harry scoffed. "I can't always be your shoulder to cry on, the person to guide you through life, Weasley! I'm not your bloody caretaker."

"I can take care of myself!" Ron defended himself. "I don't need you as a babysitter."

"Is that so? Who was the one who almost got himself blown up a few months ago because he stood too close to the roof which caved in?"

Ron turned red and looked down at Scabbers. "That's so unfair," he muttered.

"Life's unfair," Harry spat, slamming the door shut again and went back to sitting on his chair, looking out the window. "Get used to it."

Hermione chose to sit next to him and there was silence for a couple of minutes before meowing came from her basket. She lifted up the lid and smiled at the ginger cat inside, lifting him out. 

"You're finally free, Crookshanks," she said cheerfully.

As soon as the cat was out, it immediately started hissing in Harry's direction.

"Keep that thing away from me! I hate those things!" he growled. 

"Leave Crookshanks alone," she gasped. "He's never done anything to you."

"He's trying to scratch and bite my face off," he glared. "I don't need any more unnecessary scars to add, do I?" he said bitterly.

She looked at him sadly before moving the cat away from him, understanding his feelings. "Okay."

"Why do you listen to him?" Ron asked.

"Because I make valid points, that's why Weasley," Harry snapped. 

"And I don't?"

"No. You're just concerned about the wellbeing of a rodent. I'd actually thank Crookshanks for once if he decided to maul it."

Ron glared. "Stop!"

"No, I don't think I will," Harry said, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. "In fact, I could do this all day."

"You're such a..." Ron trailed off, scowling.

"Such a what? What's the end to that sentence, Ronald?"

"Such a dick!" Ron yelled.

"Ronald!" Hermione whisper shouted, clearly appalled by the language. Her eyes were wide and she looked quite disgusted.

Harry chose to put on a fake affronted display, clutching a hand to his chest. "My my, Ron. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"No-"

"You probably do," Harry shrugged.

"Harry," Hermione gave him a stern look and he threw his hands up.

"What?" he asked nonchalantly.

The man chose to stir again and make some unpleasant noises. He sounded as if he were in mild pain.

"Is he okay?" Hermione asked slightly worried.

"Why should you care? Are you his mother?" Harry asked.

"No, but I'm a nice person. Perhaps we should ask him?"

"Why would we do that? You'd wake him from his lovely sleep," Harry shook his head and sighed. "Have you no manners?"

"He sounds like he's uncomfortable," she frowned.

"If he's asleep, I'm sure he won't be aware of it," he shrugged.

"Who do you think he even is?" Ron asked.

"Professor R. J. Lupin," Hermione said.

"Where'd you get that information?" he asked.

"It says it right there on his briefcase," she pointed to his worn out briefcase with gold lettering.

"So, he'll be a teacher this year then?" Ron asked.

"No, he'll be an exceptionally old student who just so happens to have a very formal title," Harry rolled his eyes.

"No need to be so rude," Ron glared.

"No need to be so dumb."

"Boys," Hermione snapped. 

They both scoffed.

"He'll probably be the Defence teacher this year, if that's what you're dying to ask, Weasley," Harry sighed. "Since it's the only vacant spot."

"Yeah, because the position is cursed and so no teacher lasts for more than a year," Ron says.

"That's such a lie," Harry sighs. "The position isn't cursed."

"But people said-"

"Said that Voldemort cursed it when he couldn't get the job after he applied?" Harry laughed. "Rubbish. I know the real reason why nobody lasts more than a year," he said cockily.

"Why's that?" Hermione asked.

"Because they're all incompetent, obviously," Harry scoffed. "There's no big mystery or conspiracy behind it. The teachers just suck and that's because the Headmaster doesn't know how to do his job properly by hiring teachers that can do _their_ own jobs properly. Ha, funny that," he snorted.

"How can you say that about the Headmaster?" Ron gaped.

Harry shrugged. "Like I just did. With my mouth. Now, let's see how long this guy lasts," he grinned, staring down at the still sleeping man. 

There was something off about him, he sensed it as soon as he entered the compartment but he couldn't put his finger on it. It was like he gave off familiar vibes of... something, somehow. He didn't know or understand what it was and honestly, he was too tired to bother finding out. Maybe that's what it is. He's tired just like the guy. 

He's empathising. He didn't know he was still capable of that, these days.

After minutes of silence, Hermione decided to speak up. "Are you both excited for Hogsmeade? I heard it's the only non-muggle settlement in Britain," she grinned.

"Oh it is! There's so many different shops there, too. All the sweets you can buy," Ron said in a happy voice.

Hermione and Ron started smiling at each other and talking about which shops they were going to go to, meanwhile Harry sulked.

They eventually noticed that he wasn't taking part in the conversation and turned to him.

"What's up? Aren't you excited?" Hermione asked.

"I forgot to get my stupid muggles to sign the permission slip before I moved out," he spat. "I can't believe I forgot! I usually have such great memory."

Although, to be fair, he was in the middle of killing his aunt and her dog, then running away with no intention of ever coming back, so he deserves a bit of a break. He wouldn't ever tell them that part, though.

Ron let out a quiet snort and Harry glared at him. "Something funny?"

He quickly shook his head. "No, nothing."

"That's what I thought, _Weasley,_ nothing," Harry glared.

"Well, at least you don't have to worry about Sirius Black coming after you in public," Hermione said, trying to be helpful.

"That's true. Although I really couldn't care less for a crazy escaped convict right now. As soon as the Azkaban guards get him, the happier I'll be," he said with a smile.

"You know what the guards are, right?" she asked cautiously. 

"Oh, yeah," he nodded. "Believe me, I'm familiar with Dementors," he shuddered.

"What do you mean?" she looked curious.

"Let's just say, I've read some unappealing stories."

"Like?"

"None that would interest you," he glared. 

He realised shouldn't have said anything, as now she wouldn't shut up. Maybe he should just tell her all about his special book and have her read it, then she could die in a few months, too.

"But-"

"Hush," he snapped. Luckily the trolley lady pulled up and Ron bought some food, making comments about how he thinks he should feed the man sleeping as he looks hungry.

"What are you going to do, huh? Shove it down his throat? Leave him be," Harry sighed.

"I would wake him!" Ron exclaimed.

"Hmm."

The rain outside started pouring heavily against the windows and the sky got darker. 

"We must be nearly there, the train is slowing down," Ron said happily. "I'm starving."

"We can't be nearly there. We've still got another couple hours to go..." she whispered confused.

"Well, we must have went extra fast," Ron shrugged.

The train then let out a massive lurch and stopped, throwing everyone forward. Nessie let out an angry hiss and he stroked her calmly. She went up onto his shoulders protectively, telling him that her instincts sensed something was wrong. He immediately believed her and he kept his guard up.

"Whoa, it's freezing," Ron said as the frost began to freeze over the windows slowly. "C'mon, let's go," he said with a shudder and heading to the door, still thinking they were at the school station.

"Weasley, you imbecile. We're clearly not at school. We must have broken down or something," Harry snapped. 

"But-"

"Just do the smart thing and sit down and shut up," he said.

"Don't talk to me like that!" Ron shouted.

"I'll talk to you however I want," Harry laughed bitterly. 

"Boys..." Hermione said.

"You always think you're so right but you're not," Ron bellowed.

Harry stood up. "Hush, Ronald. You'll wake this nice man who has chosen to remain silent this entire time, right next to you. How inconsiderate," he grinned.

"I'm inconsiderate? Coming from you, you selfish little-"

"Language!" Harry cut him off with a scowl. "Or I swear I'll tell your mother. Oh, and Percy," he smirked.

"Percy?"

"Yep. He's not afraid to take points from his own House," Harry bit his lip to contain amusement as Ron turned red.

"I honestly can't stand you at times. I really can't," Ron growled, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth.

The room gradually got even colder and Nessie was hissing in his ear. 

**"Something isn't right, youngling,"** she said anxiously. Harry chose to listen to her.

"The feeling is mutual, Weasley. More so, on my part. You're judgemental, temperamental, you throw tantrums and you're just immature!" Harry spat. "I can't stand to be on the same train as you, nevermind the same compartment," he said and opened the door, walking out.

"Where are you going?" Hermione called after him frantically. "We have to stick together!"

"That's what I thought too, Granger," he said with a bitter smile. "Things don't always go as planned." He stormed off without looking back. 

He distantly heard Hermione having a go at Ron, yelling at him for chasing him away, then Ron replying he doesn't care what happens to him. Prat.

As Harry was walking through the corridors, he felt a feeling of unhappiness take over him. He was looking for a spare compartment, perhaps with Blaise or Theo in it. He's sure he'd be welcome there for the time being.

But as he was walking, the sinking feeling got stronger and stronger. It was as if he was falling into a pit of depression. Surely, Ron couldn't have had that much of an effect on him, though?

All of a sudden, he saw a massive black shadow appear right in front of him. He gasped and tried to take a step back but there was another one behind him. He was trapped. He looked over them curiously - long, black, flying, cold, unhappy, cloaked, creepy looking. These were what he'd read about as being the Dementors, the guards of Azkaban. The soul sucking creatures that either leave you a hollow shell or let you pass on if you meet Death.

These are the things that have a possibility of killing him because he read Death's Book. Is it now time?

_'Do you want it to be your time?'_ the voice in his head spoke up.

"No, of course not!" he yelled out to it.

Nessie was hissing at the Dementors and trying to keep them away.

He noticed they weren't really doing anything, though. They were just observing him. How odd. Shouldn't they be attacking him? Then the strangest thing happened. 

"You... smell... good..." one of the Dementors whispered to him in a grave voice.

"Uh, thank you?" he said back. "I took a shower-"

"No... I meant... your soul..." it said.

"I bet... it tastes... good... too..." the other Dementor spoke up.

"Well, you won't know!" Harry yelled to them both, backing up as far as he could to the wall.

"Yet..." the Dementor said in a hushed voice.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" he screeched at it. "Do you know something?"

"You read... the book..." the previous Dementor said, a hint of amusement to it's voice.

Harry nodded slowly. "Y-yes," he stuttered. "How do you know about that?" he asked shakily.

"He... saw..." the Dementor said. "He sees... everything... Therefore... we see..."

"And... we like... what we... see..." the other Dementor whispered.

It took Harry a moment to click on but when he did, he was horrified.

"Death," he gasped. "Death knows I read His book?" Both Dementors nodded and he took in a shuddering breath. "Oh, god. Why aren't you just killing me now then?"

"He... isn't ready... for you... yet..."

"Soon... very soon..." the other Dementor spoke up with a hint of excitement, if that was even possible. 

"What's soon? Tell me!" Harry demanded, shivering from the cold.

It all seemed odd. Out of all the things, he's never heard of a Dementor sparing someone's life because Death literally was _waiting_ for them. 

"Death..." one of the Dementors said whilst reaching out it's cold hand and trailing it across his face. "He... wants to... see... who you... become..."

"Before... He makes... any... decisions..." the other Dementor said.

"About what?" Harry asked, batting the hand away roughly.

"About... you..." the Dementor who was cradling his face said quietly. 

"What about me? What does Death want with me?" Harry demanded. "I don't want to die!" he said pathetically. 

"You... won't die... unless... Death says... you must..." one of the Dementors whispered.

Harry was shivering from both anxiety and pure cold. These things were like standing inside a freezer. 

"That's very helpful and comforting," Harry murmured, mostly to himself.

The other Dementor decided to grasp his face, too. It looked him up and down curiously. Harry ignored the sting of iciness on his cheeks, he didn't want to anger these things.

"Your soul..." it said in a curious tone. "You have... fractured it..." the Dementor spoke.

"What?" Harry gaped. "How could this be? I've never done anything of the sort."

The other one nodded. "Your soul... is torn..." 

"Do not... attempt... to lie..." the Dementor holding his face spoke. "Do you... know... how the... soul... is torn?" it asked.

Harry shook his head.

"Murder..." it whispered, close to his face. "Killing... rips... the soul... apart..."

"And... your soul... is scattered..." the other Dementor spoke clearly. "What... have... you... done?"

Harry turned even paler and gulped. "Um." He felt the hand on his face squeeze, as if a threatening gesture for him to not lie. He felt as if they'd know. Best to go for the truth. "They deserved it, okay!" he snapped.

"Who... did?" the Dementor holding his face asked.

"Aunt Marge and Professor Lockhart," he muttered. "I- I poisoned them both," he said.

"Your... soul is... scattered... into more... than two... pieces..." the Dementor holding him said.

The other one spoke up. "Tell us... who... else."

Harry sighed. "Professor Quirrell," he ticked off on his fingers. "Ripper. The Basilisk. The troll. Voldemort, technically twice." His eyes were wide at the death toll he had. "And I let Ginny Weasley die," he sighed.

"Why..." he felt a hand squeeze tighter.

"Because I didn't care, okay!"

The two Dementors were silent for a moment before nodding. The one holding him suddenly released him and Harry stumbled, holding himself upright on the wall. He rubbed some heat into his face where it was still cold.

"You... are broken... beyond repair..." the Dementor who was holding him said.

"Very... damaged..." the other one spoke up.

"Hey!" he said offended. They paid him no mind.

"We... never said... that... was a... bad thing..." it said.

The one clutching at him spoke up. "For... us..." it said amused. "Your soul... will be... bitter... to feed... from..." 

"At least... the remnants... of it... will be..." the other one spoke up, sounding just as happy.

Harry glowered. He didn't like the insinuations that his very _soul_ was split and scattered. He knew that was possible but wasn't that for the purely evil of heart? The remorseless? He's not evil. He just didn't care about who he was killing. Did that count as remorseless? No way, not if they deserved it. That's what he chooses to believe.

He was going to ask more questions when suddenly there was a massive bright light shining through the hallway that had him flinching and the Dementors crying out in pain. He heard their final parting words before they took off out a window and into the night sky.

"All... in... good time..."

He shook his head to clear it and continued to walk back to the aisle where he'd just left. He could manage dealing with Ron's temperamental attitude for the time being, right now all he needs to do is sit down.

When he reaches the compartment again, the man from before who they know as Professor Lupin, is standing up and pacing frantically. Ron and Hermione are both pale and immediately sigh in relief when they spot Harry.

"Harry! We were just about to come looking for you right now!" Hermione says, throwing her arms around him, uncaring of Nessie and her hisses of discomfort. Or even Harry's discomfort. 

Ron wasn't looking at him, instead down at Scabbers, but he still looked shaken up. 

"Harry, how are you?" Lupin asked him seriously. 

The man looked like he'd been dragged to hell and back, he had messed up hair, a pale face with purple bags under his eyes and very prominent scars across his face. He, strangely enough, looked a lot like Harry. 

Although the thought of him being a werewolf was impossible, as Dumbledore wouldn't be that crazy as to hire a wolf as a teacher. It was bad enough he had a student, he'd be pushing his limits.

Harry just nodded to him. "I'm fine."

"The Dementors didn't hurt you?" he asked, looking him over.

"Well if they did, I'd be lying on a ground looking like a vegetable," he said flatly. 

He wasn't going to mention the whole ordeal that just took place. He guarantees that they have no idea that was even possible and even if they did find out, they'd be horrified and probably attempt some Gryffindor stunt and try to save his life despite the fact that it's not going to work as he's destined to die. Well, cursed, more like.

"Oh, right," Lupin said with a weak chuckle. He scratched the back of his head and eyed Nessie for a second before saying he was going to talk to the driver. He left the compartment and Harry scowled. 

"So now he decides to wake up?" he says rolling his eyes.

"So now you decide to come back?" Ron retorts.

"I wanted to see if you were all okay."

"Really?" Hermione smiled.

"Sure," Harry nodded.

"Well, we're fine. It was freezing cold for a while and Professor Lupin told the Dementor that came in here that Sirius Black wasn't on board the train, but it didn't seem to care about that. Then another one went flying by and they just sort of searched through compartments, as if looking for... something," she shrugged. "But they didn't look ready to attack."

"Then what?"

"One stood guard on the doorway for a while and kept conversation with Professor Lupin, saying that if we stay here, everything would be fine. It talked so slow and creepy. Professor Lupin tried to get answers from it but after a while he thinks it was just messing with him because he saw another Dementor go flying by and obviously they were looking for something. So, he shot out a spell from his wand," she grinned.

"What spell?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It was silvery and made me feel all happy," she said.

"A Patronus."

"Yes! It sounded similar to that," she nodded. "How'd you know?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm clever. The incantation was Expecto Patronum, right?"

Her eyes went wide and she nodded quickly. He grinned.

"Where did you learn it?" she asked.

"I'm awesome," he said simply, ignoring her huff.

He stroked Nessie who was still on the defence all this time. She'd simmered down when the Dementors went away but still insisted on biting anyone that tried to get too close. She was feeling very possessive right now and he couldn't blame her.

"It's alright, Ness. I promise when we get to school, I'll take you straight to my bed and we'll get tucked in, okay?" he whispered to her in English.

**"Thank you, youngling. But you must eat first. I shall stay by your side, however."**

"You really sleep in the same bed as your snake?" Ron asked. "Still? I thought since it got bigger, you'd have moved it to the floor."

Harry was too tired by now to reply. He just sighed and got comfy in his chair again, staring back out the window as the train took back off for Hogwarts. 

The full moon would be happening tonight and he really needed to load himself up on Wolfsbane Potion after dinner then crash in his bed. He can't wait to see what the dungeon dorms will really be like from now on compared to the noisy tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3


	6. Snake Pit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No more talking to Ron, getting comfortable in Slytherin House and a moon night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Serious note! I noticed at the beginning, there's a scene when it came to Hermione where I accidentally added it from her POV even though the story is from Harry's POV. So, I was wondering, do you think it would be a good idea to add some other people's POV's every now and again? Or simply keep it to just Harry's? 
> 
> Your choice. I don't know what option to go for. Commentors decide for me!
> 
> It could possibly expand the writing material and let you see other's opinions etc, but whatever...
> 
> (this is my shortest chapter yet and hopefully there won't be any more that are this short again, but I just needed a filler because things are getting hectic with the plot that I'm currently writing down in my notes)

The boys got changed into their school robes in the compartment as they pulled up at the station. Ron glared at the green on his robes, clearly displeased with it no longer being red, and Harry pursed his lips.

"It's just a colour, Ronald," he said as calmly as he could.

Ron scoffed. "Yeah, a colour that separated us."

"What do you mean?" he sighed.

"You took off and left!" Ron snapped. "Just left me all alone in the tower."

"I didn't leave you alone, I'm right here. Plus, you have your brothers," Harry said, trying to remain calm.

"I see them all the time at home. You're supposed to be my friend."

"Exactly," Harry grit out. "And as my friend, you wouldn't care about something as petty as a colour difference."

"You're sleeping elsewhere-"

"For goodness sake, Ronald!" Harry cut in. "It's not like I moved school!" Even though he secretly wanted to. "I just moved to the other side of the castle, we'll see each other in classes and during breaks and on the weekends."

"You'll make new friends," Ron glared.

"Am I not allowed to make new friends at all?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "With anyone I like?"

"You know that's not what I-"

"You said in our first year that we'd be friends no matter what!" Harry finally snapped. "Do you even remember that?"

"It's true," Hermione said from where she'd just came back from changing in the toilets. She'd overheard the last part of the argument and decided to speak up. "You did say that, Ronald, in the Great Hall."

"See?"

"Why are you defending him?" Ron asked her.

"I'm just stating a fact, that's all," she frowned. "No matter who's side it's on."

"Fair enough," Harry shrugged.

Ron scoffed. "Whatever."

"Why are you acting like such a baby about this?" Harry threw his hands up. "Just a couple of months ago we were inseparable, now you want to stay as far away from me as possible. What happened?" Harry asked with slight hurt in his voice, laced with anger.

"You left me when I needed you most!" Ron yelled.

"I didn't leave you, I keep saying that!"

"Yes you have! I won't have anyone to stay up with all night to talk to anymore," Ron said.

Harry gaped. "We never did that anyway. Don't use that excuse, trying to be emotional. You always passed out as soon as your head hit the pillow because you're lazy."

Ron glowered. "It could still happen. Or could have. Not anymore," he crossed his arms. "Who's going to take care of you when you're sick all the time? Ask you if you're alright? Nobody, that's who! Because they never stayed up to care or bother to ask."

"Ron," Hermione gasped.

Harry growled and clenched his fists. That was a low blow on his part. 

"How dare you! You know nothing about how or why I get as sick as often as I do, you prat! There's so much you don't know!" he spat at him. "For your information, the teachers constantly look out for me and ask if I'm okay, so I don't need you to act as if you want to be my babysitter or something."

Ron's eyes went slightly wide at the outburst before he averted them. It looked like he realised the error of his words and regretted them but wouldn't admit to it.

Hermione took in a deep breath. She knew something wasn't quite right with his health for a couple of years now but never thought it was appropriate to ask. It seemed as if there really was an issue, however, and hearing Ron say that must have struck a nerve.

She decided to speak up. "Why don't we discuss this more calmly and rationally?"

"No. I'm done with him," Harry spat just as the train pulled up at the situation. "Either he apologises profusely for what he just said or I'm walking away," he glared at Ron. "Because that was way too far, Ronald."

Ron turned to look at him and for a second, Harry was actually sure he was going to do the decent thing. But Ron was always such a big baby.

He glowered at him. "Not in a million years." After a second thought he smirked. "Potter."

Hermione groaned and shut her eyes in defeat. 

"I knew you'd say that," Harry shook his head. "I will always await your apology though, Ronald. Because I am the better person," he gave a sarcastic grin.

"Please, don't dream of it," Ron scowled. 

"I'll have sweet dreams tonight of shoving you in front of a bus," Harry smirked.

"Bite me!" Ron yelled, not realising the words he just said were a major mistake to say to someone like him.

"Trust me, Weasley. You wouldn't want that," Harry snarled and shoved his way past him and out the compartment doors, just as everyone was leaving the hallways and off the train.

Ron scowled and muttered to himself. Somehow, he felt Hermione's gaze on the back of his head and it was as if she was analysing him in a way. He didn't like it one bit, but he refused to turn around and yell at her to stop.

Nessie came out from hiding underneath his robes and whispered comforting words to him which had him cheering up.

When he was outside, he stormed his way up to the carriages where everyone else was heading for a change and his eyes bugged out. There were massive skeletal looking horses with wings. They appeared to be pulling the carriages, too.

"Whoa," he whispered. One of the horse-bird things looked at him curiously before letting out a soft croaking noise, almost a caw, like a bird would make. An instinctual part of Harry told him it was saying hello. He smiled at it and moved on. It was odd, considering nobody else seemed to notice them.

_'They won't see them,'_ the voice said, helpfully. He frowned and decided to humour it, therefore himself.

"Why?" he whispered.

_'They're called Thestrals. They can only be seen by people who have witnessed death.'_

Harry snorted. "Well, if I'm going to actually be seeing Death soon, I'll definetly be seeing all the Thestrals."

_'That would most definetly count,'_ the voice agreed. _'If you come back.'_

"Potter." He was pulled out of his internal thoughts by a hand clamping on his shoulder. It was Theo Nott and he was smiling at him. "Are you all there? You're just staring off into space."

"Tired," Harry shrugged. "Any carriages left?"

"Yeah. Want to sit with Zabini and me? Great way to start the school year, unless you'd rather be with your... Gryffindors."

Harry scowled. "I'd rather throw myself into the Great Lake and take my chances of survival with the Giant Squid."

Nott raised an eyebrow and quirked his lip, nodding slowly. "Noted. Come this way," he led him towards a carriage which contained Zabini from before looking tired. "Look who it is."

"Potter!" he smiled.

"Hi, may I join?" he asked. He got a nod and climbed on board, sitting across from him, Nott sitting next to him. They both blinked when they saw Nessie on his shoulders, momentarily forgetting he had her.

"She's gotten big," Zabini said with wide eyes.

"Yeah, she eats plenty of rats," Harry grinned.

**"Which I thoroughly enjoy,"** she hissed.

"Which I know she enjoys," he continued, translating for them despite the fact they wouldn't know.

"And she still doesn't bite?" Nott asked warily.

"Not unless you give her a reason to," Harry shrugged, stroking her softly.

"Alright then."

The carriages started moving towards the school and conversation slowly picked up. He was glad they weren't too chatty, he needed peace and quiet right now. Ron and Hermione would just blabber away, driving him insane.

"Not that we're not thrilled to have you here, but why aren't you sitting with your other friends?" Zabini asked curiously.

"I'm not talking to Weasley," Harry said sharply.

"Weasley?" he asked, bewildered.

"I'm just as confused," Nott said.

"Yes, Ronald Weasley!" he snapped. "He's immature, selfish, stupid and arrogant," Harry spat. "I can't believe I ever thought I could be friends with the likes of him."

"Now you're seeing things from our perspective," Nott said. 

Harry scowled. 

"Enough of this," he said and conversation thankfully died down. 

* * *

They were sitting in the Great Hall, Harry's back to the Gryffindor table, and most of all Ron, as he didn't want to see his stinking face, and sitting in between Nott and Zabini, who both vowed to look out for him this year as he began to adjust. He appreciated that.

He stroked Nessie softly and ignored the scowls he got from the lion's table behind, mostly coming from Ronald, Seamus, Dean, Lee and a few other prats who he honestly couldn't give a damn about. 

He also ignored the semi-curious looks from the snake's table, mostly coming from the new firsties, or second years, the upper years or even Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. He could deal with this later. Besides, they already knew who he was, he'd sat with them for a short period of time before the school holidays.

What everyone was really paying attention to right now was the Headmaster's ridiculous speech.

"As all of you will be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is currently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."

Everyone gaped at what the Headmaster was saying. 

"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds and while they are with us, I must make it clear that nobody is to leave school without permission," Dumbledore said firmly. "Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks, disguises or even Invisibility Cloaks." 

Harry didn't have to worry about that, it's not like he wasn't going to be using it anyway.

"It is not in the nature of a Dementor to understand pleading or excuses," he shook his head. "I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the Prefects and our new Head Boy and Girl to make sure that no students run into the Dementors," Dumbledore said.

Harry held in a snort. He wanted to blurt out to everyone how two Dementors showed him complete mercy on the train and let him go, yet they would call him out and say he's being a liar or say he hit his head or something. 

Plus, how would he even explain it to people who wished to believe him? He'd have to explain Death's Book and how the Dementors are keeping guard of, not only the school and Azkaban, but also Harry.

"On a happier note, I'd like to introduce Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher this year. Good luck!" he cheered and people started clapping.

Hermione and Ron clapped the hardest and Harry rolled his eyes at them both.

"I am also sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties," Dumbledore smiled. "Good luck, Professor Hagrid!" 

The Gryffindors started cheering the loudest and Hagrid went bright red. Harry overheard Ron sighing. "Who else would have sent us those biting books? It all makes sense now."

"We have that oaf as a teacher? He'll probably get us all killed. Did you get the books he clearly assigned?" Pansy Parkinson piped up. "Nearly chewed my arm off."

"I still haven't managed to calm mine down," Daphne Greengrass frowned. "Have any of you?"

There was a chorus of "no's" and head shakes. Harry just nodded. 

"Yes. Ages ago. Before I even bought it, actually," he grinned.

"How before?" Parkinson asked.

"I saw it in the bookstore and it was going berserk, so I managed to take care of it right there and then," he shrugged. "And, then I bought it."

She gaped. "Well, tell me how you did it! Now!"

"What's the magic word?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Uh... please?" she asked awkwardly. 

"You don't sound so sure."

She sighed irritated. "Fine! Please."

"Hmm," he said thoughtfully then pouted. "No."

"N-no?" her eyes went wide.

"No."

"Why?" she yelled. 

"I figured it out myself. You can do it too," he smirked at her. "It's the easiest thing, ever."

"But-"

"Unless you're stupid."

"I'm not stupid, Potter!" she snapped.

"Then figure it out," he grinned. "Because we'll have his class soon and you don't want it to eat you in front of everyone, do you?"

"No," she sighed tiredly. "I really don't."

Greengrass pat her on the back whilst Zabini and Nott burst into a fit of inappropriate snickers, just like teenage boys do, as they enjoy the torment of girls.

"Wow, Potter. You already fit in well," Zabini said.

"Didn't he already?" Nott asked.

"Yeah, but he got to Pansy. Nobody ever does that, the girl is made of steel and nobody breaks her," Zabini said with an impressed look. "Well done."

"Meh," Harry shrugged.

Harry looked up to the High Table and noticed Severus looking disgusted by Professor Lupin who was sitting next to him. It was as if he smelled like something bad. Harry still couldn't put his finger on it but there was definetly something off about that man. He was looking more tired than the rest of the teachers and Harry felt that so well. 

Severus caught Harry's eye and gave him a nod, one which he returned. Lupin looked beside him and stared at Severus with a frown, then back to Harry with an even deeper frown, much to Harry's confusion.

The man was looking between them two and he was noticeably looking at Harry's robes and the table he was sitting at. Then he looked towards the Gryffindor table where Ron and Hermione were. If Harry didn't know any better, he'd say he was trying to put some kind of jigsaw puzzle together. But what was the puzzle? 

Harry just eyed the man warily and decided to keep his guard up around him.

After dinner, all the Slytherins headed back to their common room and Harry let out a sigh of relief when they were behind closed doors. He let down Nessie who was demanding to roam around on the cold floors. 

People jumped out the way at the sight of the large snake but composed themselves out of embarrassment. Plus, they seemed to remember her from last year and even though some people stayed warily away, some smiled amused.

"What's her name again, Potter?" Greengrass asked.

"Nessie," he said.

"Hi, Nessie!" Greengrass smiled at her and bent down. 

**"Yellow haired human, what do you want with me?"** Nessie asked confused.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "She's not a bloody dog, girl." This got some snickers from around the room. Greengrass just blushed. "She's a snake, stand up."

"Just being friendly..." she said.

"Hmm."

"I think it's best if you all ought to get some sleep," Professor Snape said, coming out of nowhere like usual. "After all, you don't want to be tired for your first class tomorrow, do you?"

People shook their heads no, and much to their amusement, so did Nessie. 

"Your snake understands English!" Parkinson yelled out. "That's so cool!"

"Well, of course she does," Harry said cockily whilst crossing his arms. "She's far superior to all the other snakes. Aren't you, Ness?" She nodded again. "See."

"Amazing," an upper year girl whispered. 

"I think that snake is a chick magn-"

"Don't even finish that sentence, Mr Zabini. I thought you'd have more class than that," Professor Snape glowered at him. "What would your mother say?"

He bit his lip and ducked his head. "Apologies, sir."

"Uh-huh." 

Harry eyed them both with amusement before going over to Nessie and picking her up, allowing her to wrap herself around him and nodding to Severus again. 

"Our dorms?" he asked, gesturing to his year.

"Third floor, up the spiral staircase. Boys on the left and girls on the right. You'll share a dorm. Whichever bed you chose will be yours for the rest of the term, no switching," he said and walked off.

They all headed upstairs, Harry going first considering he had a giant snake wrapped around him and took up more space. When he entered the boy's dorm room, he grinned at the sight. The beds were all four poster and there were mahogany wardrobes and bedside tables next to them. There were also large glass windows that let you see out into the Great Lake where some fishes swam past. 

It reminded him of being in an aquarium, but magical. It was brilliant. 

There was also a random door closest to the entrance which was the bathroom area, containing showers, too. He chose the bed closest to that door. It would be easiest for him if he needed to get up in the middle of the night because he wasn't feeling... particularly well, and needed to wash up or cool down.

Everyone else came in and jumped on to their beds, Nott next to him, Zabini next to him. Then across from Zabini was Crabbe, next to him was Goyle, which meant the only remaining bed left, which was directly opposite of Harry's was Malfoy's.

He rubbed his tired eyes and held in a scream. No murder, no murder, no murder were his internal thoughts.

"Great, you'll probably watch me while I sleep, won't you Potter?" Malfoy piped up.

Harry snorted. "Please. Don't flatter yourself," Harry rolled his eyes.

Nessie got comfortable on his bed and Malfoy stiffened. "That thing doesn't actually sleep here, does it?"

"Nessie isn't a thing. She is a snake. And yes, she does, just like the rest of us," Harry glowered. "Got a problem?"

"What if it bites?" he yelled.

"Nessie will only bite if provoked, I've told people this before," he sighed. "Don't you remember my grand speech last year?" he grinned.

"You said it was fast and venomous."

"And magically resistant," Harry nodded.

"What does that entail?" Malfoy questioned.

"It means, if you try to hex or curse her, it'll rebound and smack you right in the face. Or if you try Banishing her, you'll find yourself in the middle of nowhere, stranded," he grinned. "Won't want that, right?"

Malfoy shook his head. 

"Just leave her alone and you'll be fine, right Malfoy?" Nott spoke up.

"Shove off, Nott," he pouted.

Harry sighed and un-shrunk his belongings which were still in his pocket. Everyone gaped at him. 

"How'd you do that?" Zabini asked.

"Magic."

He unpacked a few of his things that weren't too dangerous for them to see and vowed to do the rest later when he was alone. He didn't want them seeing his sketchbook, Dark Arts books, other questionable things or his potion for tonight.

Everyone started getting changed into their pyjamas and once Harry was changed into his, he got into bed, charmed his curtains to stay closed, cast a Silencing Charm, chugged back his Wolfsbane Potion and cuddled up to Nessie.

His back and head hurt, he felt so tired and he knew he'd feel rubbish tomorrow. The teachers would give him permission to skip classes for the next few days, of course, but he didn't want to appear weak. Especially with what Ron said. His words stuck with him and he would show him he's not some baby who will back down and get cuddled away in bed after a sick day.

He'll look absolutely rubbish, obviously. But, at least he's trying. And his hair is long enough to try and cover some of the gruesome scars that'll surely stand out and the gaunt look on his face. 

**"I'm so tired, Nessie,"** he sighs.

**"Sleep, youngling. You'll feel better."**

**"No. Of this life and this school. I want to leave this place, go somewhere else,"** he said contemplatively. **"Heard of Durmstrang?"**

**"That's the secret school that teaches the magic you like,"** she hissed.

Harry nodded. **"Yeah. It's a prestigious school specifically for the Dark Arts, that's apparently located somewhere in Europe, perhaps Bulgaria. They have to take vows of secrecy to not reveal their location and who the other students and teachers are, and what they teach,"** Harry sighed. **"It sounds intense and brilliant."**

**"Maybe you should find out more and try to go there,"** she said helpfully.

**"That's not a bad idea..."** Harry hummed then winced at the pain behind his eyes. **"Migraine."**

**"Sleep."**

He nodded and shut his eyes, eventually drifting off into a deep yet painful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3


	7. The Worst Omen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An interesting chat with the Bloody Baron, predictions in Divination class and a bad accident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Flint technically graduated by the time Harry was in 3rd year but I wanted to have him a year younger so he'd have a chance of being captain as Harry tries out for the team - just to avoid any confusion. I'm not getting my characters mixed up or anything, I looked into it properly!
> 
> And yes, I did what you all asked and added some other people's POV's. So far, I'm actually loving it :D
> 
> (was that some bonding you saw there too?)

Harry woke up the next morning to the sight of green light flowing gently above him. It was calming and he stared at it for five minutes until he woke up. He sat up and noticed it was the light from the water outside shimmering through the glass windows in the dorms. 

He rubbed his sore eyes and got his wand, casting a Tempus. The time read six am. He got up and went to the bathroom, making sure not to wake anyone. He put a Silencing Charm on the door and took a quick shower, cleaning himself up and then wincing at his awful reflection. It was nothing new, seeing his scars stand out like this, but he usually slept it off. 

He wouldn't let harsh words put him down, however. He put on a strong facade and splashed cold water onto his face instead, going back into his dorm and getting changed into his robes. He then styled his hair so it looked presentable but pulled it slightly across his face like usual. 

Nessie seemed to notice he was awake and jumped to attention.

**"Youngling, where are you going?"**

**"Kitchens. I'm starving. Want to come? I'll get you a juicy rat,"** he grinned. She nodded enthusiastically and slid onto his shoulder. He walked with her quietly down the stairs and out the common room, all the way to the kitchens. 

He swore he heard distant footsteps, as if someone were leaving the area after coming to the kitchens already. Probably an early riser. He tickled the pear on the portrait to open the doors.

An elf greeted him right away. "What can I be doing for you todays, sirs?" it asked.

"Do you have any raw meat?" he asked it. 

"Of course, sirs. I shall be getting that right away," it hopped off and came back a moment later with a juicy steak on a bowl. "Will that be all or will sirs be needing mores?"

"I'm fine, thanks," he told it and it walked off.

He sat Nessie down and gave her a rat whilst he dug into his raw steak. They were both a horrid sight to see.

Once they were both done and Harry cleaned himself up with a simple charm, they headed out and Harry walked back to the common room. If those Dementors really were roaming around the castle, the last thing he wanted to do was run into one again. Who knows if it'd decide to eat his soul his time around.

_'They wouldn't. They're just watching,'_ the voice spoke up, making him jump.

"Watching what?" Harry whispered back. "The school?"

_'Yes... and you.'_

"Me?" he blurted loudly. Nessie looked at him funny but he just stroked her comfortingly, continuing on his walk back to the common room.

_'Hush. People will think you're going crazy. Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness,'_ the voice said amused.

"Nobody is around," Harry grit out.

_'I beg to differ,'_ the voice said.

"What?" Harry looked around and the Bloody Baron was floating in the corner looking gruesome, eyeing him warily.

"You are Harrison James Potter," he said in a low voice.

"And you are the Baron," Harry nodded. "Nice to meet you." He supposed it was always good to get on the ghost's good side, even though he calls him by that ridiculous title just like Silas does. Speaking of, where has he been?

But when it comes to the ghost here, he's heard the... stories surrounding the Baron. Plus, he's the only one who can control Peeves. Might be nice to have some backup.

"Who is the serpent on your shoulders? It is impolite to not introduce me to your companion, is it not?"

"Apologies. This is my familiar, her name is Nessie," Harry smiled. She nodded at him and gave a hiss. 

"Interesting. You've bonded with a snake. I have seen a rare few walk these halls, come and go, who have made bonds with snakes..." the Baron said curiously then got serious. "But over time, something became of them. Something different. Something terrible," he said gravely.

"Like what?" Harry asked. "Who?"

"Do you have to ask?" he said, looking at his forehead.

Harry raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "Oh, okay." He wasn't about to get into a debate about Vold- no, Tom Riddle, during his time here. How absurd. "I'll be sure to be on my best behaviour then," he snickered.

The Baron then sighed from where he was floating in the corner. "You can communicate with her, can't you?"

"What?" Harry asked with wide eyes.

"Your snake. Do not fret, Harrison. I shall not tell. Salazar's honour," he held a bloodied hand against his heart. "Your snake. You can communicate."

Harry was silent for a moment before simply nodding.

The Baron hummed. "Just be careful. The ghosts and portraits have eyes and ears everywhere. I do not say this lightly," he said in a hushed tone. "And they report back to the Headmaster."

Harry clenched his fists. He was really starting to hate that old man. Spying! 

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked with confusion. "Shouldn't you do the same?"

The Baron let out a hollow laugh. "Out there, yes. But, what happens in the dungeons stays in the dungeons, Harrison. And down here, I didn't see anything," he said innocently.

Harry caught on and smirked. He'd keep his promise to not tell anyone, including the Headmaster that he was a Parselmouth simply because he was a Slytherin and therefore dedicated to Salazar, and because it happened in his dungeons. What an interesting concept. 

He nodded his thanks and took off for the common room quickly, whispering the password and letting himself in. He didn't feel like going back to his dorm where everyone would be sleeping so he sat in the common room and looked through the bookshelves which were much bigger than the ones in the tower.

Eventually, he found a book on Potions and started reading. He doesn't know how long he's been reading for, only that he hears another set of footsteps come down the spiral staircase. He turns to look and it's Marcus Flint, captain of the Quidditch team.

The boy grunt when he sees him and Harry just nods, going back to his book. There's silence for a minute before Flint speaks up.

"So, Potter. Like I told you last term, come to me if you've got any Quidditch skills. Well, have you?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I think you already know the answer to that, Flint," Harry said not looking up from his book.

"Excuse me?"

Harry sighed and turned from where he was sitting on the couch to look behind him at the table where Flint was sitting. 

"You know I'm the best Seeker at this school, don't deny it," he shrugged. "I've won the games for Gryffindor when I was on their team, no issue. Even in my first year," he grinned when Flint growled. "But I won't take that position away from Malfoy."

"Why? Worried you'll hurt his delicate feelings?"

Harry snorted. "I couldn't care less if he fell off the Astronomy Tower. In fact, I'd gladly push him," he curled his lip. "I just don't want him starting an even bigger feud by coming after me."

Flint hummed in thought. "As much as I hate to admit it, you were a pretty good Seeker," he frowned. 

"I know," Harry shrugged.

Flint continued. "You speak as if you were to join the team, you wouldn't mind competing against your old Housemates."

Harry scoffed. "They're hardly my friends, if that's what you're implying," he shook his head. "A bunch of traitors and babies, that's all. And they dare come against me? Pfft, if anything, I'd love to see them get knocked down a peg... or ten," he snorted.

Flint's eyed widened, clearly not expecting that. He then got a mischievous look on his face. "Perhaps something can be arranged."

"Ha!" Harry said with a sarcastic laugh. "If you think you can let me try out for the team and have me as Beater of Chaser-"

"Of course not!" Flint shook his head. "That's not your style. I'll see if I can talk to Malfoy."

"As if that would ever work."

"I'm sure-"

"-that he'd rather keep this position in the team due to his ego and pride, rather than give it up for the better of his team and higher chances of winning? Which, by the way, are absolutely guaranteed," Harry said smugly.

Flint bit his lip and then sneered. "I'll talk to him anyway."

"Good luck with that," Harry said sarcastically and went back to his book.

Not too long later, Professor Snape came into the common room and his eyes landed on Harry. He gestured for him to come with and he sat down his book, curiously following behind as he was led in the direction of his office. 

"Your course schedule," he said once the door was shut behind them. "I noticed you're taking every class."

Harry smiled. "Yes. Aren't you pleased? I am one of your students, afterall," he said. 

Severus quirked his lips slightly. "Aren't you worried it'll be too much to handle?"

"No, of course not," Harry waved his hand nonchalantly. "I was the only one who actually sat my exams last year, out of the entire school. They all used that stupid excuse that the Petrifications had them too worried to bother with their education. Whilst I, a mere second year, continued on and beat all the Prefects and Head Boys and Girls with my Outstandings," he said with a raised eyebrow.

Severus nodded. "I remember that, and I am immensely proud."

Harry beamed. "Thank you. I know it might be a bit stressful at times, but as long as I keep proper time management and get my notes in order, I don't see the problem. I'm not lazy, you know this," he frowned. "I'm clever and ambitious."

"Exactly why you're a Slytherin," Severus smiled.

Harry shrugged. "Probably. So, I will continue with my plan to take all the classes."

"And you realise that a lot of the classes overlap each other?" his teacher said. "Have you figured out how you're going to manage that?"

Harry paused. "Uh..." He hadn't actually thought about that part. He was too excited to take the entirety of the course schedule that the timetable didn't cross his mind. Stupid.

Severus just sighed. "It's alright, I knew this would happen. I spoke to the other teachers earlier about the situation and they were all shocked at first but otherwise, they seemed pleased that you wanted to take all their classes. They saw it as true dedication of a pupil."

"Really?" Harry grinned.

"Yes. So, we came to an agreement," he said. "You can attend all classes, even though they overlap each other. For example, you can take double Transfiguration one week, then double Potions with me on the same day, the next week. You'll catch up with notes and homework you've missed in the classes you were supposed to attend then. Does that make sense?"

Harry nodded. "Sounds fair. And I'll just keep doing that with every class? Replace it with a different one every week and then catch up on homework?"

"Correct," he nodded.

"Okay."

"Now, I must ask. How are you fitting in so far with your new Housemates?"

"It's actually going fine. Zabini and Nott are cool. Crabbe and Goyle care more about food than anything else. Malfoy is still... Malfoy. But he's more tolerable considering there's the threat of Nessie eating him in the middle of the night," he snickers. "The girls are quite weird, if I'm being honest, but girls are always weird," he frowned. "And Flint came up to me today just like he did last term."

"Saying what?"

"Wanted to talk about Quidditch," Harry shrugged. "He knows I'm a good Seeker and wanted to see if I'd try out for the team. I told him I wouldn't take the position away from Malfoy though," he sighed. "Even though I'm still better..." he muttered. "But, he said he'll try to have a talk with him, even though I said it was pointless. Eh, whatever."

"I've never understood the point in sports," Severus said. "But it would still be nice to see Slytherin back in the lead with the Cup. Wouldn't you feel bad about playing against your old-"

"Ugh! Flint said the same thing," Harry groaned. "I don't care about the rivalry. It's just fun for me," he said. "But it still would be nice to laugh at them after everything they've been doing and saying to me, recently," he scowled. 

Severus raised his eyebrows. "What do you-"

"I don't want to talk about it," he cut him off again.

The man sighed and nodded. 

"It's nearly breakfast, why don't you go find your dorm mates?"

Harry nodded and left.

* * *

"The Dementors were freezing cold," Parkinson said from her place at the table during breakfast.

"You nearly peed yourself from fright," Greengrass laughed.

"I did not," she snapped back.

"Did too."

Malfoy rolled his eyes at them both. "Stop being such girls."

"Well, that's what we are," Greengrass said.

"And don't say you weren't scared," Parkinson teased.

"Malfoys aren't scared of anything," he said pompously.

"Except losing your money," Zabini butted in.

Malfoy hissed back with a red face. "Shut it or I'll tell your mother what you're saying."

Harry found the whole situation amusing. For a whole bunch of people who put on a display of House unity and standing together in public, they sure did bicker a lot behind closed doors and when nobody else was listening in. It just reminded him that no matter what kind of politics were involved or no matter what ideals their parents tried to enforce in them, they were still kids, afterall.

He'd never really thought about that before when it came to them, but now he was beginning to see them all in a new light. Not perfect, especially Malfoy who still bugged the living daylights out of him, but some new perspective, for sure. And he felt Zabini was right - he did fit in, considering nobody really gave him any hassle or even did the petty bump into his shoulder as they walked past. 

He was just another snake in the pit now, which he was very thankful for. Perhaps, Nessie also had something to do with it.

Professor Snape came by not too long later and handed out sheets which had their course schedule on it. He grinned as he looked down at his paper, which was more crammed than everyone else's, considering he was taking every class this year.

"How can you possibly be taking them all?" Nott asked once he glanced at his sheet.

Harry shrugged. "When you have enough determination to succeed at something, you won't let anything stop you."

"But, all the classes almost overlap each other!" he said. "Otherwise I'd do it."

"And you can," Harry said. "If you're not lazy."

"It'd be too much," Nott sighed.

"For you," Harry grinned. "Easy for me. Just you watch."

"You're very cocky," Malfoy raised an eyebrow.

"Not cocky, Malfoy. Confident," he said with a smile.

Malfoy frowned down at his toast and ripped it in half in frustration, going back to ignoring him.

He didn't understand how Potter could just sit there and act so... casual all the time, as if his very presence wasn't distracting. But nobody else seemed to have an issue, they just dealt with it, welcoming him in with open arms. Perhaps, they had opinions and gossiped about it in private. Could he get in on that? Or did they really not care that he was part of their group now?

He didn't understand this which made him rip up his toast into smaller pieces, so it was practically breadcrumbs. Why does Potter have to come in and change everything? It was all so calm before. Now it's like everyone has something to talk about which is interesting.

He doesn't realise that deep down, it's jealousy. All because the attention isn't on him. From both his Housemates and Potter. It also doesn't help that even that snake gets more attention than he does. He's a Malfoy, he deserves attention. 

"You alright there?" Parkinson asked him with raised eyebrows when she saw his destroyed toast on his plate.

"Fine," he snapped at her.

"Ugh! We have Divination first," Nott sighed.

"Where is the class?" Zabini asked.

"Under a trapdoor," Harry shrugged. He got looks from everyone. "What? I looked into all of this when I decided I wanted to take all the classes. Do you think I was just going to run around the school, clueless?"

"Suppose not."

"Exactly," he said. 

Eventually, they headed off for class and Harry led them all in the correct way to the crazy lady's class where he knew the trapdoor would be. He could distantly hear Ron and Hermione talking to some portraits and asking for directions but he wasn't going to help them. He just continued onwards.

They reached the ladder that hung from the trapdoor and he let out a groan of annoyance. 

"Malfoy, you go first," he shoved him towards it.

"Why me?" he gaped.

"Because, if the ladder breaks, I don't want to land on my arse," Harry rolled his eyes. Everyone started giggling and Malfoy turned red. "Especially if I have Nessie on my shoulders. She'll get hurt."

"I don't want to get hurt, either!" Malfoy snapped. "You're so selfish, Potter."

"Fine, one of you go," he pointed to the rest of them but they all looked warily at the shaky and creaky ladder.

There came other footsteps and he realised it was the Gryffindors finally arriving. Harry turned to them.

"Ladies first," he said chivalrous to Hermione who arrived.

She looked at the ladder with trepidation. "You've said that to me before..." she glared at him.

He held in a snort. He remembers the last time they dealt with a trapdoor and he just shoved her down it. 

"Yes, and you were fine, weren't you?"

"Only because of what was at the bottom!" she snapped, remembering the Devil's Snare she landed in. If she and Harry hadn't been clever enough to figure out what it was and how to get rid of it, they'd be dead.

"Well, if you fall, I promise to catch you," he smiled.

"Really?" she said eyeing the ladder. She found it difficult to trust him these days, even more than before. He had always been a shady character but lately he gives her a feeling of unease. She pushes it away, however. He's supposed to be her friend.

"Sure," Harry lies easily to her.

"Alright then," she sighed and began to climb the creaky ladder.

"Hermione, be careful!" Ron shouted.

"I'm fine, Ron," she assured him.

Everyone watched with anxiety as she climbed the steps which let out croaking noises, until she reached the trapdoor above her head and shoved it open. She poked her head inside and climbed through so she was standing inside the loft. 

"It's fine, come in," she told them all.

"On you go, Weasley," Harry said.

"Shove off. You probably want me to fall," Ron spat.

Harry bit his lip in amusement. "You say such horrid things about me."

"Because you're a horrid person!" Ron said as he climbed up the ladder.

"I am not." Harry pouted. "You'd be so lucky to have me as a friend. But it's all your loss," he sniffed.

Ron scowled. "As if."

"Just bugger off, Harry," Seamus spoke up with a frown.

"Who brought you into the conversation, Finnegan?" Harry spat. "In fact, I don't think you've ever uttered more than two words to me since I've came to this school."

"Yeah, those two words have recently been "you" and "suck", because it's true," Seamus glowered. 

"Wow, look at that! The little Irish git has a mouth," he grinned.

Seamus' eyebrows rose. "Excuse me?"

"Do me a favour. Go blow up some cauldrons instead of bothering me," Harry cringed and took off up the ladder himself. His Housemates laughed and shoved their way past the other Gryffindors, coming up the ladder too, and they all took some tables near the window. 

Harry noticed everyone scowling at him as they entered but he didn't care. 

After a minute of sitting around, a strange looking teacher he knew would be Professor Trelawney appeared and eyed them all up. 

Harry stared bewildered as she went on to talk about Inner Eyes and bewaring red haired men, making one of the Gryffindor girls stare at Ron in fear. He thought it all sounded ridiculous. 

"In the second term, we shall progress to the crystal balls, only if we have finished with fire omens," she said. This made Harry shift a little uncomfortably. She was talking about omens and that wasn't exactly something he was comfortable with. But he needs to man up. "Unfortunately, classes will be disrupted in February by a nasty bout of flu. I myself will lose my voice, and around Easter, one of our number will leave us forever."

Harry frowned. It would most likely be him. Either from dropping the class because he was too freaked out by it... or the other one. It was great to have a possible prediction date, however. 

Maybe the Easter Bunny will kill him.

_'You're so paranoid,'_ the voice said.

_'I'm allowed to be!'_ he mentally yelled back.

"Now, I want you all to divide into pairs," Trelawney said. "Collect a teacup from the shelf, come to me and I will fill it. Then sit down and drink until only the dregs remain. Swirl these around the cup three times with your left hand, then turn the cup upside down on its saucer, wait for the last of the tea to drain away, then give your cup to your partner to read. You will interpret the patterns using pages five and six of _Unfogging the Future._ I shall move among you, helping and instructing."

Harry turned to Nott who nodded at him, deciding to be his partner. 

"I'll get the cups," Nott told him, standing up.

"Thanks," Harry said. 

His eyes widened when Trelawney grabbed Nott's arm.

"Dear, after you've broken your first cup, would you be so kind as to select one of the blue patterned ones? I'm rather attached to the pink," she said in a croaky voice.

Harry snorted and Nott pulled his arm away from her with a snarl, walking off to collect the cups. He was looking back at Harry with bewilderment when he suddenly tripped and smashed a cup. 

He came back a minute later, shaken up. "How did she do that?"

"Do what?" Harry asked unfazed.

"Predict that?"

"I'm sorry?" Harry had to hold in a laugh.

"She knew I was going to drop the cup. In public, too," he growled.

"Nott, you dropped it because she made you," he sighed. 

"What?"

"It's psychology, she's a fraud. I don't know why Dumbledore hired her. She's just as mental as him," he rolled his eyes. "But she made you paranoid about dropping the cup, therefore it put you on edge and you ended up doing it."

Nott scratched the back of his head. "I guess it's plausible."

"It actually makes sense," Zabini said, sitting back down.

"See."

"Alright, fine," Nott threw his hands up. 

"Let's just get this over with," Harry scowled at his tea and started chugging it back.

After about ten minutes, the leaves were left at the bottom of the cup and looked like a big pile of goo and mess. Trelawney insisted on going around and inspecting everyone's teacups, however, predicting good and bad things for them.

Harry looked inside Nott's cup. "You've got something that looks like a bowler hat. Perhaps that means you'll work for the Ministry," he told him.

"Interesting," Nott said.

"What about mine?" Harry asked.

"It looks like you've got some kind of acorn," Nott said whilst inspecting Harry's cup. "Apparently it means unexpected gold."

Well, he is planning on selling the Basilisk parts on the black market so it's not necessarily unexpected. The silly tea leaves are just saying that coincidentally.

"Well, that's uplifting," Harry just says.

"There's also... huh," Nott says, twisting and turning the cup around in different directions. "There's something weird in here. It's like a tall body or something, wearing a cloak, I think?" 

Trelawney gasped and reeled around on them. "Show me that right now!"

"Uh-"

She yanked it out of Nott's hands and inspected the cup herself. Everyone else in the room went silent, listening in.

She was muttering to herself and shaking her head whilst looking at Harry.

"This is yours?" she whispered.

"Yeah, why?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"My boy... this is _the worst_ omen imaginable. Worse than the Grim," she shook violently. 

"What's the Grim?" Hermione asked from where she was sitting a couple of tables away. She didn't like the way Trelawney was trying to freak everyone, including Harry out.

"The Grim is just one simple omen of death, amongst a few. It is a giant spectral dog that haunts churchyards," she sighed. "But no... What we have here is far worse. It is the most horrid omen of them all," the teacher shuddered.

"Why is that, Professor? What aren't you telling us?" Hermione asked.

"This right here," Trelawney pointed to the figure inside Harry's cup, "is the omen of Death, himself. And, as we all know, nothing escapes death," she gulped. "Most especially not Death, himself," she whispered to herself.

Hermione was confused and horrified. Harry looked pale and as if he was going to throw up. She wanted to reach out and ask if he was alright but didn't know how he'd react. It's not like she'd be able to anyway, as he got up and stormed out the class, jumping down the trapdoor quickly. She winced as she heard him land below. She doesn't know how that didn't hurt his legs, but she supposed he just wanted to get away really badly.

Harry was both fuming mad and terrified. Why on Earth did she predict that? How could she know? Nobody else should know about something like this. He's told nobody! And how would his tea leaves, of all people's, end up looking like that?

Clearly, the universe is playing some cruel trick on him to wind him up and torment him before his deadly demise. And Trelawney just had to call him out on his secret in front of the whole class. Hopefully, everyone would think she's just mad, though. They couldn't actually believe a teacher would predict a student's death, right? They're not that gullible.

He feels himself get a little hot and Nessie tells him it's best to just leave so he listens to her. He grabs his bag and runs out the class, quickly jumping down the trapdoor and luckily, his increased strength stopped him from hurting his ankles on the ten foot drop, otherwise he'd end up with some serious sprains.

He hears the teacher telling the class they're dismissed and sighs in relief, deciding to just head to his next one.

Transfiguration is on the other side of the castle and by the time he reaches the class, it has just begun. 

"Hello Professor," he smiles at McGonagall.

"Potter, where is everyone else?" she asked.

"Got a head start," he shrugged and sat down near the back.

People began to come in a couple of minutes later looking tired and he snorted as Zabini threw himself down next to him. 

"You gave everyone a fright," he said.

"No, Trelawney did," Harry said back.

"You're right, my mistake."

The class was unusually quiet but McGonagall seemed to appreciate the lack of fooling around for once. If only she knew the reasoning.

Hermione kept sending him glances from across the class and Harry clenched his fists in frustration. What did she want with him? To laugh? Gloat? Say that Ronald has a message to pass along?

He looked to Ron and he wasn't even looking in his direction, just staring at the table and sulking.

McGonagall was showing the class her Animagus form and he turned to Zabini. "Would you ever want to become an animal?"

"I wouldn't have the patience for it, I think," the boy shrugged. "You?"

Harry shrugged with a grin. "Out of boredom? Sure. That could come in as such a useful tool. But, you're right. You need loads of patience."

He wasn't going to mention that he actually was an animal, already. He'd just play along, though.

"What do you think you'd be?"

Harry thought for a second before nodding. "Either a bird or a snake."

Nott overheard and laughed. "I can understand a snake, but why a bird?"

"And what kind?" Zabini asked. "I'm curious."

Harry ran a hand through his jet black hair. "A raven. Get it?"

Both boys groaned and shook their heads. 

"So pathetic."

"Unbelievable."

"I'd be a dragon," Malfoy spoke up from where he was listening in, too. 

"Because that's what your name translates to?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," he nodded.

"I'm afraid there are certain limits on what animals you can transform into, Mr Malfoy," McGonagall said when she overheard them. "A dragon is not one of them."

He pouted in his chair.

"It's alright, Malfoy. We know what one would suit you perfectly, apart from a dragon," Harry smiled.

"Oh really? What?" he perked up.

"Flamingo," Harry grinned.

"W-what?"

There were snickers from the Slytherins and Harry bit his lip. "Tall, skinny, white and fluffy, likes to run around."

Malfoy glowered and whispered. "They're pink."

"You can get white ones," Harry shrugged. "They're kinda interesting to look at."

Malfoy pursed his lips and turned away from him. Harry would probably hear from him later in the common room, but for now it was worth it.

After an incredibly long and drawn out Transfiguration class, they were finally headed off to Care of Magical Creatures.

"The oaf is teaching the class. What could possibly go wrong?" Malfoy muttered on the way down to the grounds where the class was held.

"Shut your mouth, Malfoy," Ron spat when he heard him.

"You're not friendly, Weasley," he said with mock hurt.

"Me? You're the one calling Hagrid a..."

"Yes?"

"I won't say it," Ron glared.

Cough, "oaf!" cough, Malfoy said. 

"I said shut up!"

"Oopsie, didn't disguise that very well, did I?" he taunted.

"I'm gonna punch you!" Ron threatened and clenched his fists. People started bickering back and forth and the noise was giving Harry a headache. 

He was sick of the drama and simply grabbed Malfoy by the arm, dragging him away further down the hill, sneering at Ronald on the way, earning a gasp from the Gryffindors.

Malfoy leaned in and whispered to him. "Saving me, are you? My Knight in Shining Armour?" he asked sarcastically.

Harry just stared blankly at him. "Don't get any ideas. Weasley would pummel you into the ground, he's reckless like that."

"You've done it before," Malfoy whispered back with a glare.

Harry quirked his lips. "Because you deserved it. But I'm learning to control myself these days. I'm not going to lower myself to his standards."

"Really?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"There are far better forms of revenge than with fists," Harry said.

"Magic?"

"Even better."

"Like?" Malfoy asked curiously.

"Setting someone up," Harry bit his lip. "Like, for instance... getting them into trouble because you didn't turn up to a midnight duel?" Malfoy's eyes widened. "Or turning their hair blue." Malfoy blushed at that.

"Pfft! Of course you had something to do with that," he spat quietly, so nobody else, especially the Gryffindors could hear them. 

"I'm surprised you never realised it sooner, Malfoy," Harry whispered with a snort. "I must admit, it was so hard to never just blurt it out and laugh in your face. But it would give it all away," he sighed.

"Shove off," Malfoy mumbled.

"Hmm, no."

Malfoy side eyed him and they continued on their way down to where Hagrid was standing outside waiting for them, wearing a yellow tie and shirt.

"Is he-"

"Yes," Harry frowned. He then turned to Malfoy and to both of their shock, they both let out snickers together.

It was the first time either one of them didn't actually feel like killing the other. 

Everyone eventually gathered around Hagrid out on the grounds who was grinning and standing near a paddock, the Slytherins standing off to one side and Gryffindors on the other side.

"Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up!" Hagrid told them all. "Everyone gather 'round the fence here! That's it, make sure yeh can see!" Hagrid told everyone, gesturing to the wooden fence. "Now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books."

"How?" Neville muttered.

"Wha'?"

Neville frowned and attempted to open up his book again but it just tried to eat him, tearing up his clothes and making him yell. It took several people to pull the book off him and pull him up from the ground.

"I'm okay, I'm fine!" Neville reassured everyone with a red face.

"You didn't want that happening to you, did you?" Harry whispered to Parkinson, who's eyes were blown wide as she stared down at her own book. She clearly still hadn't figured it out yet. She just shook her head slowly.

"Hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books yet?" Hagrid asked, looking at them all. Some people had tied their books in ropes and others were padlocked shut. There were a chorus of "no's" and Hagrid sighed. "Yeh've got ter stroke 'em," he said, taking Neville's book and stroking the spine, immediately calming it down.

Everyone got into action, stroking the spines of the books and they stopped biting and snarling right away, much to all their relief.

"Well, don't I feel silly now? Just "stroke the spine", he says. As simple as that," Malfoy said coldly. 

"You're a prat Malfoy," came the voice of Ron. The Gryffindors were glaring at him.

Hagrid said something and walked away but Malfoy turned to Ron, getting everyone's attention instead.

"Am I?" he sneered. "I just think I'm honest. God, this place is going to the dogs, don't you think? With that oaf teaching classes? Surely, something is bound to go wrong. Wait until my father hears about this," he shook his head.

Harry just stood back and remained silent. Usually he'd have something to say, but he was loving the look of pure shock on Ron's face right now. It was everything he'd been hoping for, as of late. He'd thank Malfoy, if they were any closer.

"Are you just going to let him speak to all of us like that?" Ron finally addressed him.

"You talking to me?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ron scoffed. "Of course I'm talking to you! Who else?"

"Maybe your imaginary friends?" he smirked.

This got some snickers from the Slytherins and glares from the Gryffindors who were his supposed "friends" before everything changed and they decided to go against him.

"No!" Ron turned red. "I'm talking about Malfoy. Are you seriously just going to let him speak to all of us - to me - like that?"

Harry shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"But... why?" Ron asked with betrayal in his eyes.

"I'm not his mother," Harry laughed. Malfoy nodded along with everyone else.

"You're just as bad as them! Why do you have to be so- so-" Ron stuttered over his words. "So hateful?"

Harry thought it was ironic that he was calling him that, considering he was the one who started this in the first place. But there was no point in arguing with someone who wasn't going to see sense. He decided to just push his buttons even more.

"Because I can be, that's why," Harry said flatly, uncaring.

Ron just gaped at him, not expecting that answer. He was expecting a genuine explanation of some sort, a reasoning for why he uses crude terms and vulgar gestures, but clearly that wasn't going to happen. Harry really was just as nasty as he had suspected he'd become these days. His mean streak had only gotten worse.

He'd noticed it start a couple of years ago and questioned it, even back then. But he was supposed to be his best friend. You're not supposed to doubt your best friend, are you? Somehow, down the line however, something just changed... 

He noticed him getting a little more distant at times and he was especially secretive about things. It was as if he were always hiding things, but he never knew what. And he often got this look in his eye like there was another person there, ready to take over and destroy everyone in his path if he so desired. 

He hates that their friendship split up, and a part of him wants it back, but some part of him deep down knows it's for the best. Some people are just toxic for you, and he could tell that no matter how much people like to praise or glorify him, he's seen him behind closed doors and he knows he deserves the absolute opposite, because Harry Potter is toxic. 

Harry turns back to his Housemates and ignores Ron, grinning at them, looking smug.

"I told you about the book, didn't I?" he said to Parkinson. "Jealous?"

"Yeah, yeah. We get it, you're a genius," Parkinson said with a roll of her eyes.

"Why thank you," he smiled. "Nice to be appreciated." He threw a quick glance over his shoulder towards Ron then scowled. "For once."

Hagrid eventually came back with a massive bird-horse creature. It reminded Harry of a healthier looking Thestral, except everyone could see this thing.

"What the bloody hell is that?" Malfoy said with wide eyes.

"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid said with a smile, ignoring the swearing. "Aren' they beau'iful?" he asked everyone.

Some people nodded and some people cocked their heads curiously. Harry was conflicted. The bird was eyeing everyone up, as if ready for a fight. It must be sensing intent in everyone.

_'Well, I'm not in a very good mood so keep it away from me,'_ Harry thought bitterly.

Hagrid was telling everyone about how the Hippogriffs were proud birds and you've never to insult them. He was only half paying attention along with Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, since he found the whole thing tedious. He didn't think this was going to be a fun class, at all. 

_'I thought this would be an interesting one, considering what I am,'_ he sighed. Clearly he was wrong in that assumption.

Hagrid was petting the animal and looking at everyone with smiles, asking for a volunteer to come forward and introduce themselves to the Hippogriff, who's name was actually Buckbeak. Everyone took a step back and shook their heads, making Hagrid frown. 

Harry shared a look with Nott and they both looked over to the Gryffindor side of the class, snickering and nodding. Malfoy raised an eyebrow when he caught them and Harry just grinned at him, motioning for him to watch. He snuck his way across to the other side where the Gryffindors were and gave Ron a hard shove forward. 

He then yelled out, "good for you, Weasley! Go play with Buckbeak."

"I didn't-" Ron started.

Hagrid was just happy to have a volunteer and gave a fearful and hesitant Ron the verbal instructions for what to do. Harry watched in amazement. He didn't care how this went, he just liked to see Ron shaking like a leaf and almost wetting himself.

Buckbeak seemed to take a liking to him after about two minutes of bowing and Ron stood up, looking like his back was hurting. Hagrid put him on his back and they flew off into the air, every one of Harry's Housemates, including him laughing at his terrified screams as he went.

After about five minutes, he came back and jumped straight off Buckbeak looking windswept and nauseous.

"How do you feel, Ronald?" Hermione asked him when he walked back over to them all. 

"S-sick..." he mumbled. "I feel sick, a bit dizzy." He looked green and a bit like he'd been hit with a Confundus Charm, swaying on the spot. Hermione held on to him and bit her lip anxiously until he got ahold of himself again.

"Pathetic. Can't even fly a bloody chicken properly," Harry scoffed. "How could you ever play Quidditch?"

Malfoy snickered next to him. "It doesn't even look that dangerous," he eyed it up.

"Cook it for dinner," Nott said, making them all laugh. Buckbeak looked at them all with a fierce glare.

"What are you looking at?" Malfoy asked it with a sneer. "You great, ugly brute."

Suddenly, it reared forward out of Hagrid's grip and slammed it's front talons down on Malfoy's arm. Everyone started screaming and Harry was about to whip out his wand and curse the thing when it clashed it's talons down against his skull, rendering him half conscious. He suspected he'd have a concussion.

He heard cries from students yelling for help, the screeching of a bird, yelling of a teacher, his own groans of pain and the sounds of a boy next to him whimpering. Then he felt himself get lifted up and everything went dark.

Hermione watched the scene with shock. Harry and his Housemates, who he was getting along with surprisingly well much to her disbelief, all made fun of the Hippogriff as Ron got off it. They should have known not to make fun of it, if they'd paid any proper attention to what Hagrid was saying.

When he said to not mock it, he didn't mean to just not insult it to it's face. He also meant behind it's back where it could hear you. It hated being talked about, it really was prideful, like a person. So, when they were all laughing at it and calling it a chicken, of all childish names, they should have known to stop. Especially, when it looked their way.

Hermione noticed the look in it's eyes. It was eyeing them up, looking for deception and was clearly sensing some. She winced in sympathy and wanted to say something, but by the time she was going to tell them that they should watch what they're saying, the Hippogriff had lashed out and attacked Malfoy, making him collapse on the ground and clutch his broken arm.

Then to her horror, she watched as Harry got cracked in the head with Buckbeak's strong talons and he also immediately collapsed to the floor, except he was far worse than Malfoy as he had blood trickling out his head and his eyes were rolling back as he was slipping into unconsciousness. 

She screamed to Hagrid who was frozen. "Hagrid! He needs to be taken to the hospital, it's a head injury! He could have a concussion," she said panicked then looked to Malfoy who genuinely looked like he was in pain. She sighed and nodded towards him. "Malfoy, too. He has a broken arm."

"Alrigh'," Hagrid put Buckbeak back in the paddock quickly and lifted Harry up gently in his arms, cradling him and carrying him up towards the castle in the direction of the hospital wing. Malfoy got up and walked alongside them, too. "Class dismissed!" Hagrid yelled out as he walked away and everyone ran off, whispering and gaping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3


	8. Malfoy Shows His Nice Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leaving the hospital wing, learning things about Nessie and talk of Quidditch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've been not been updating regularly, I usually do daily but it's been nearly a week. The reason is, all the schools and shops where I live have been shut down for now and everything is hectic so it's been difficult to update, but I promise I'm not abandoning this! This is more of a filler right now, tbh

Harry woke later in the hospital wing, head bandaged up. He winced when he frowned, remembering what happened. The anger drowned out any form of embarrassment he felt right now.

That stupid oversized bird attacked him in the middle of class and knocked him right out. He feels lucky he's not dead. He looks over to his left and sees Malfoy in another hospital bed with his right arm bandaged up. He's cringing down at it and trying to get comfortable in the sling.

Just then, Madam Pomfrey comes in and rushes over to him. "Mr Potter, you're finally awake!"

"How long have I been out?" he asks.

"Only a few hours," she shrugs. "You're lucky you have... increased healing which speeds up your recovery," she says in a hushed tone so Malfoy couldn't overhear. "Otherwise, you'd be in here for much longer."

He nodded. "Is it just a scratch?" he asked, pointing to the bandages wrapped around his head.

"No dear, you had a concussion. You were talking a bunch of nonsense, too. Stuff about chickens?" she raised an eyebrow and Malfoy snickered from his bed beside him. Harry looked over and his cheeks were red.

"Sorry," he choked out.

"Hmm," Pomfrey frowned and turned back to Harry. "I'll give you a pain potion and then hopefully you can be on your way, okay?"

"Okay," he smiled. She left for a moment and he turned to Malfoy. "What happened while I was out?"

"My arm broke," Malfoy spat. "Your head was bleeding pretty bad so the school nurse bandaged you up. Then you kept mumbling in your sleep, saying you wanted to kill the chicken," he snickered again. "Obviously you meant the Hippogriff."

Harry curled his lip. "Obviously. It tried to kill me, both of us! I couldn't care less what happened to it, right now."

Malfoy raised an eyebrow, smirking at him. Then he went serious.

"Oh! Your snake also wouldn't leave your side. It- sorry, she was getting angry and hissing at Pomfrey so I had to try and talk to her," he rolled his eyes. "She understands English, right?"

"Yeah," he said, looking around for her. "Where is she?"

Malfoy blushed and pulled back his covers, revealing a sleeping Nessie on his bed. "I've seen you give her rats a whole bunch of times and she wouldn't stop hissing at you and jumping on you. So to calm her down, I persuaded her with a rat and told her to give you some room and to sleep as that's what you'd want. Or something like that," he waved his hand and muttered.

Harry grinned and nodded. "Well, thanks Malfoy. That's probably the nicest thing you've ever done for me. I appreciate it," he said sincerely.

"Yeah, yeah..." Malfoy turned away from him shyly.

Harry snorted and looked to Nessie. He thought about waking her but didn't want to disturb her peace. He knew she loved sleep.

"Does her company bother you?"

"Nah, it's alright after a while," Malfoy said contemplatively, biting his lip. "She doesn't really do much, just lays there. So, it's okay."

"Good."

"How's- um- how's your head?" Malfoy asked awkwardly after a moment of silence.

Harry's eyebrows rose and he nodded. "Fine, it's feeling better. Not so dizzy. Although, I think I look like a mummy, what do you think?" he joked.

Malfoy grinned. "Yeah, same," he said, pointing to his own bandaged arm. "All we need now are tombs."

"And pyramids," Harry chuckled.

"Both of you, quit laughing. This isn't time for games. You're seriously injured," Madam Pomfrey said as she came back into the room with potions for them both. She handed them one each and told them to drink. They both chugged them back with grimaces and she let them leave, telling them to head straight back to their common room.

They walked together and Harry gently woke up Nessie, allowing her to wrap herself around his shoulders gently and listen happily to her hisses all the way back.

When they reached the dungeons, a familiar figure appeared. "Harrison James Potter, I thought I'd find you here," the Baron said in a deep voice.

"I suspected the same," he said back awkwardly.

"And, Draco Lucius Malfoy. Lovely to make your acquaintance, also," the Baron nodded.

"Yeah! Likewise," Malfoy said after a beat of silence and getting a nudge in the ribs from Harry.

"Do be careful in these halls, children. You never know what kind of dangers roam around," the Baron said gravely.

"Like the Dementors?" Malfoy asked.

"One of many," he shrugged.

"Let's just go then. We wouldn't want to run into any of that," Harry tried pulling him along but the Baron blocked their path.

"Why are you bandaged up, my boys?" he asked warily. "Have you just contradicted yourselves?"

Harry sighed. "It wasn't our fault!"

"Yeah," Malfoy nodded. "We didn't know how a stupid Hippogriff was going to react to a bunch of school kids just hanging around. If it wants to get offended, that's it's own problem," he scowled. "But it doesn't need to take it out on us!"

"Look! It broke Draco's arm and tried to crack my skull open," Harry glowered.

"Sounds like a bad day you've had," the Baron said.

"You think?" Harry asked sarcastically. The Baron just sighed, understanding the pain and hormones of the young teenage boys and therefore deciding not to reprimand him.

Harry had not noticed Malfoy had stopped talking about a minute ago, however. He was too busy ranting to the ghost about how Hagrid shouldn't be allowed to be a teacher that he hadn't realised Malfoy was just staring at him with wide eyes.

Malfoy was just beyond stunned, to say the least.

First Potter decides to practically save him from that freckled git Weasley, then they share a laugh together in class, then he willingly trusts him to look after his snake, then they share another laugh and now he unintentionally calls him by his first name? Why is this boy so confusing?

Yeah, he wanted to be his friend for a short period of time during their first year, but that was before he found out what a prat he could be. But to be fair, he hadn't been all that great himself. And Professor Snape, plus everyone else in Slytherin House had made that clear behind their common room doors, by yelling at him and telling him to stop using the blood slurs. At least, outside, as they'd gain an even worse reputation and lose points.

It was something Professor Snape took incredibly serious. He'd been made to scrub filthy cauldrons for a week straight, including the weekends as punishments for what he'd called Granger that day. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but it wasn't really worth it.

He knew his father wouldn't particularly care, but his mother would. She held more class than that and was graceful. She hadn't been informed of the incident, because even though he'd like to pretend his parents couldn't care less about anyone less than purebloods, that was hardly true. His father definetly was more bias, that wasn't a lie, but he still held some small amount of respect for any half blood who could hold themselves in a duel or a high position in power.

And his mother was the same, however she wasn't embarrassed to express it behind closed doors and would scold him if he was discriminating in any way in front of her.

The students in Slytherin House were also another shocker, considering they yelled at him a lot. With how often he'd been accused of being childish and even one time, badly raised - which resulted in a full on duel - he realised that not everyone down in the dungeons was the same. They didn't all follow their parents ideals. A lot of them did come from the parents of Death Eaters and so rules were pushed down on to them, but it seemed as if they just wanted to focus on school work more.

Some students parents weren't associated with the Dark Lord and were simply Ministry Workers, but still held firm beliefs and tried to put thoughts into their children's heads. A few amount of them would listen to their parents, probably wanting to make them proud and follow in their footsteps, but a lot of them rebelled down here and just did what they wanted. It would most likely be different over the holidays when they were back home, putting on a mask around their mothers and fathers, but at school they could just be who they wanted.

You got the lumps like Crabbe and Goyle who most likely weren't going to make anything for themselves as they're too lazy and would just stay at home for the rest of their lives, living off their parent's money.

You've got Potter, who has no parents to go home to in order to impress, so he can just be who he wants and do what he pleases. He knows he has those muggles back home, but recently he's been getting the impression that he doesn't seem to like them very much, based on the small snippets of conversations he's overheard him have with Nott and Zabini. Something about them being constantly rude and hating magic. He couldn't stand to live in a household like that. How has Potter not killed them, yet?

And then you come to him. He wants to work in the Ministry, he doesn't want to take part in any scary and bad stuff. It gets tedious talking and thinking about it. And, yet again, he'd never mention this to anyone, but he's glad the Dark Lord is dead as that man sounded terrifying and he doesn't know how he'd cope being around him. 

Although, based on what people have been discussing these past couple of years, with Professor Quirrell and the Weasley girl, that had something to do with... him. He refuses to think about him. There's no way he's back. Potter bested him when he was a slobbery baby and ended up with that scar on his head.

Not the other ones, which still greatly confuse him but he won't prod like he did before if he's to remain dorm mates. He has a snake.

He's nudged out of his thoughts by the Baron saying his goodbyes and floating away. He must have been zoned out for a while.

Harry headed back to the common room with Malfoy following alongside, who had a curious and thoughtful look on his face, as if he's thinking really hard about something. He'd make a joke or ask what was going on, but he didn't want to disturb the boy's minor inner turmoil. That was for him to figure out unless he'd ask for help. What if it was embarrassing or personal? 

When they reached the common room entrance, he said the password and walked in with Malfoy. They both planned to go to their dorm to relax, but were surprised when everyone's eyes turned to them.

"Oh, there you are!" Greengrass shouted from her position on the couch. "We thought you both died."

"We're Slytherins," Harry grinned as she came up to them, "self preservation is our thing."

"You clearly didn't have enough self preservation to stop yourselves from getting hit by a Hippogriff," Flint grunted from where he was reading a Quidditch book at the table.

Malfoy blushed but Harry snapped back.

"We clearly have _enough_ self preservation to actually not die Flint," he said. "Doesn't that count?"

Flint was silent for a moment before nodding once, going back to his book. Harry grinned smugly. 

"How are you both feeling?" Parkinson asked as she came up to stand next to them.

"Banged up," Malfoy grumbled.

"Pun?" she raised an eyebrow.

He smirked at her. "Yes."

They all laughed and everyone who was watching with interest before turned away again.

"Hello, Nessie. Are you alright?" Greengrass asked the snake on Harry's shoulders with a soft voice. "I was worried about you."

Nessie let out reassuring hisses but Harry was too upset to translate anything.

"Uh... what about me?" he threw his hands up.

"You're a person, you can take care of yourself. She's a snake," she shrugged.

"And you think she can't take care of herself?"

"Of course not," she rolled her eyes. "But I think she's more delicate than you and needs someone to watch over her. You're tougher."

"Pfft, yeah. Because Potter is far from delicate," Nott laughed from where he was watching them on the couches. "He's so big and tough. Look how manly he is. Oof," he smirked sarcastically.

Harry snorted and looked down at his feet. "I hate you," he mumbled. 

"Lies."

"Hmm."

"Can I?" Greengrass' voice asked. He looked to her and she was pointing to Nessie on his shoulder. He eyed the girl whilst biting his lip.

**"It's alright, youngling. The yellow human doesn't smell very deceiving. And if she points that wooden stick at me, I'll just bite her,"** Nessie told him.

He nodded. "Alright, be gentle with her. She is delicate, after all," he scoffed. He put her around Greengrass' shoulders where she promptly got comfy and the girl smiled widely, stroking her scales softly and talking to her, acting as if she understood. 

Harry rolled his eyes and with some final reassuring words from Nessie, telling him that she would be okay and was independent, he left her alone with the girl for now. 

_'Girls are so weird,'_ he sighed and continued walking off towards his dorm.

He heard a pair of feet following after him a minute later. "I'm hungry," Malfoy said as he entered the dorm.

Harry raised his eyebrows from where he was sitting on his bed. "Um... okay? Maybe Crabbe or Goyle have snacks in their trunks. I can break some wards on their things-"

"No, not like that," Malfoy waved a hand. "Wait, you can?" his eyes bugged out in shock.

Harry sighed. He read all about ward breaking in his Dark Arts book, when it wasn't talking about Curses or poisons. He now has some impressive wards on his own trunk to stop people getting into his things and has applied some to his bedside drawer, where he no longer has to worry about people going in and seeing his things if they snoop, like what he worried about in the tower. And he didn't even have to make a false bottom in here.

He supposes that's something he should have kept secret. Although, he doubts Malfoy would tell. The threat of Nessie is always there. 

"Nothing you can prove," he shrugged. Malfoy just pouted at him. "What did you mean then?"

"We missed dinner because we were in the hospital wing. You might not remember because you were sleeping," Malfoy frowned.

"I was hardly sleeping, Malfoy. I was knocked out!"

"Whatever. I'm still hungry. Pomfrey wouldn't let me go because she had to reset the bones in my arm and let me tell you. That hurts," he scowled.

Harry snorted. "I'm glad."

"Hey!"

"What?" Harry deadpanned.

Malfoy crossed his arms. "Come with me."

"Excuse me?" Harry held in a laugh.

"I don't want to go alone," Malfoy whined. "You heard what the Bloody Baron said. There's things out there."

"Where do you want to go?"

"Kitchens," he said, rubbing his tummy.

"No way," Harry scoffed.

"Why not?" he sighed.

"I'm not going out there and risking my neck, just so you can get some snacks," Harry frowned.

"If we're quick, it'll be fine!"

"You do know there's Dementors surrounding the school, right?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

Malfoy wrung his hands nervously. "Yes, which is exactly why I don't want to go alone!"

"Ask someone else!"

"They're all playing with your snake," he rolled his eyes then turned red. "Uh."

Harry snorted at that and shook his head. "Okay then. That never happened." Malfoy nodded rapidly. Suddenly, Harry's stomach suddenly gave a massive growl of his own and he gaped. "Oh."

Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "See my dilemma?"

Harry growled and jumped off his bed. "Fine," he snapped. "But you better not be reckless and try to get me into trouble, or I swear I'll end your life and gladly go to prison for it."

Malfoy held up his hands. "I swear, we're good."

"Good." Harry went into his trunk and started rummaging around until he found what he was looking for. He grinned and pulled out his Invisibility Cloak. Malfoy's eyes went wide when he saw it. 

"Whoa!" he gasped. "Where'd you get that?"

"It was my father's," Harry smiled and threw it over the top of himself. Malfoy looked around for him until he took the cloak off with a grin, still standing in front of him. "See? It works."

"Amazing. And we can use this to get there?"

"Yes," he nodded. "And if you tell any of the other's about this, well..." Harry sighed and took out his wand, twirling it. "Your arm will snap again."

Malfoy glared. "Hey! I wasn't going to! I like having this secret," he said smugly. "Besides, isn't it bad enough the stupid bird broke it? I don't need a psychopath breaking it, too." 

"I wasn't talking about the bird."

"What?"

Harry looked at him innocently and let Malfoy replay his thoughts. He noticed when he got it because he let out another gasp.

"It was you! You were the one who broke my arm that day!" he glared.

"Yep."

"I was wondering how that happened," he muttered to himself. "I knew I didn't have weak bones like Pansy said!" he scoffed.

Harry snorted. "Sure about that?" he pointed to his bandaged arm.

"Yes!" Malfoy snapped quickly. 

"Alright," Harry sighed and gestured towards the cloak. "Come on under."

Harry threw it over his shoulders and Malfoy jumped underneath, both of them crammed under there. 

"This is so cool," he said with an enthusiastic voice.

Harry snickered at him. "I'm glad you're amused. Now let's get this over with." They both walked down the spiral staircase together and when they were in the common room, Harry made sure to pay attention to how everyone was treating Nessie. "How is she?" he whispered.

There was a crowd surrounding her and they all had a mixture of awe or shock on their faces.

"Your scales are so lovely," an upper year girl said with a grin, softly stroking her.

"It's so shiny," a younger boy said.

"She!" Parkinson snapped at him. "Potter will kill you if he hears you call Nessa an 'it'."

"I think Potter will kill _you_ if he hears you call Nessie 'Nessa', considering that's not even her name," Greengrass raised an eyebrow.

Parkinson blushed. "Oops."

"Honestly," she sighed. "She's named after the Loch Ness Monster."

"Why?"

"Because why not?" she shrugged. "It's a cool story, who knows if it's real. Plus, it's a serpent like creature that inhabits water. It's perfect for her," Greengrass grinned.

Everyone nodded and Harry held in a snort underneath the cloak. The girl definetly had a point there. She was a snake who lived underneath the Great Lake, so it was a pretty good comparison.

Nessie seemed to be loving the attention considering all the hisses she was letting out. 

**"Continue stroking my soft scales, tiny human. I love that. All of you clearly worship me, how could you not? I am your superiors, after all,"** she said happily. 

Harry was sure now that she was in safe company and wouldn't be hurt, so it was okay to leave her alone for a little while longer. Besides, if something did go wrong, she could easily get out the fangs. 

"I think Daphne loves that snake far too much," Malfoy whispered into his ear on their way towards the common room door. Nobody was paying any attention to the doorway because Nessie was the perfect distraction, so they took that as their moment to slip out.

"How could she not? Nessie's brilliant," Harry said as they walked onwards to the kitchens.

"She's magical, isn't she? You said that."

"Part boomslang, part magical, yes."

"What does that mean, exactly?" Malfoy asked confused.

Harry would normally get frustrated with millions of questions thrown his way, but he did love talking about snakes, especially Nessie, so he was happy to share. He turned to Malfoy with a small smile.

"Well, it means that she's basically a muggle snake for start," he started off. "Muggles have snakes that are called boomslangs, they're very fast and highly venomous. Their bite will kill almost instantly if not treated right away. It's highly recommended, practically illegal to own one simply because of that reason."

"And that's what Nessie is?"

"Part of her, yes. Her parents were part of the Wizarding World, unfortunately, and it was breeders that did it all," he sighed. "As they do, they took animals, such as cats or snakes, and used magic on them, breeding them with magical animals, too," he scowled. "Basically, they used these animals for experiments. They embedded tons of magic into them, in unnaturally ways. Her parents were some of the test subjects."

"That's horrible!" Malfoy exclaimed. "I can't believe people experiment on animals like that, just to make them magical creatures. It makes you wonder how many magical creatures out there are actually natural or are from breeders..."

"You're completely right," Harry nodded sadly. 

"You said snakes and cats. Does that mean even some Kneazles could be bred?"

"Yes, sadly."

Malfoy gasped in shock. "Barbaric," he whispered. 

"Quite," Harry sighed. "As for Nessie, she was _born_ from her parents, but because she wasn't actually experimented on, because she was born from snakes who were the one's experimented on, that meant she was technically now a natural half muggle boomslang and magical creature snake. Does that make sense?"

Malfoy thought about it and nodded. "Yes, it does. In a very morbid way, yes."

"Okay," Harry said.

"I- I'm sorry. I know you care about her loads, so it must suck to have a pet, no, companion that's went through something like that," Malfoy muttered.

Harry's eyes went wide. Did Malfoy just offer sympathy?

"Well... thank you," he said quietly. "That means a lot."

"Uh-huh."

They finally reached the entrance to the portrait that opened the kitchen doors and Harry tickled the pear, making Malfoy snicker. They both got a whole bunch of food when they were inside, not caring much about manners as nobody else was around, just laughing at the idiocy of being in the kitchens eating cakes late at night.

"Imagine if Professor Snape came in right now," Malfoy snorted.

"For your information, he's actually caught me in here before," Harry said. He wasn't going to mention the fact that he caught him in the middle of devouring a raw meat.

Malfoy's eyes bugged out. "How did he react?"

Harry decided to go with honesty.

"Horribly."

Malfoy burst out laughing and Harry smirked along with him.

They spent about twenty minutes in there before leaving back under the cloak.

"We'll have to hurry," Harry started. "The teachers may not spot us but just remember, the Dementors can see through Invisibility Cloaks," he said gravely.

Malfoy's eyes went wide. "They can?!"

"Yes. Didn't you listen to what the Headmaster said at the start of the year?"

Malfoy scoffed. "I never listen to the old coot."

Harry snorted. "Fair enough." 

They eventually reached the common room entrance again and snuck back in. Nobody noticed them thankfully, and Harry raised a curious eyebrow when he saw Nessie wrapped around the girls and them smiling.

"They're so weird," Malfoy whispered as they walked back upstairs to put the cloak away.

"Yeah. They almost make Hermione seem kind of... normal," Harry snickered.

They eventually reached the dorm and Harry locked his cloak away inside his trunk again, resting back on his bed tiredly. 

"Won't you go get Nessie?" Malfoy said as he lay back on his own bed, getting a book out from his bedside table to read.

Harry shrugged. "Soon, she seems fine for now. Socialisation is good for her."

"And you," Malfoy raised an eyebrow at him.

"What do you mean?"

"You get into these moods sometimes where you just look, what's the word? Depressed or something," Malfoy frowned. "And you lock yourself away in your bed, wrapped in your covers. You've snapped at Theo and Blaise, especially recently, when they were asking if you were alright. It was a bit weird."

Harry smirked. "Aw, are you getting protective and starting to care for me?"

"Pfft, you wish!" he scoffed. "I was just confused, that's all. You can be very odd, sometimes."

Harry sighed. "I was just feeling... under the weather, that's all," he said, not mentioning anything more. 

"Hmm, alright then." Malfoy went back to reading his book and Harry got up to collect Nessie, coming back with her a minute later and laying her on the bed.

**"Youngling, those humans downstairs give me plenty of attention. They clearly respect my intellectual authority and understand I am the alpha serpent in these dungeons,"** Nessie said proudly.

Harry smirked at her and stroked her scales gently. He couldn't talk back because Malfoy was here but he knew she understood that he was happy for her. 

He got ready for bed and when he climbed back into his covers, he heard Malfoy laugh from his bed across from him. 

"What?" he raised an eyebrow.

Malfoy just pointed to him. "You're wearing pyjama bottoms with broomsticks on them!" he laughed.

Harry smirked down at them. "Oh yeah, you like them? Just a simple charm. I thought it would be funny," he shrugged. Then he eyed Malfoy warily. "Listen, speaking of broomsticks... Has Flint spoken with you at all?"

"He came up to me recently and said we had to talk about something but was pulled aside by a teacher in the middle of the conversation, so we couldn't discuss. Why?" Malfoy asked confused.

"It's just, he's captain of the Quidditch team."

"Yeah?"

Harry sighed. "He came up to me recently and started talking to me about Quidditch, okay?"

"Wait, does he want you to join the team?" Malfoy asked with wide eyes. "Because that would be so cool. Having Harry Potter on our team," he grinned then frowned. "But, wouldn't-"

"No! I wouldn't feel guilty," Harry gritted out for the last time. He was so sick of people asking him that. "I only care about the game, it's fun."

Malfoy nodded. "Understandable. Still, though. Will you be trying out?"

"Well, that's why Flint wanted to talk to you," Harry lay back on his bed and rubbed his tired eyes. Malfoy eyed him curiously. "It wouldn't be right if I joined the team and you weren't okay with it."

"That's ridiculous! I just said it would be great," Malfoy said.

Harry shook his head. "It's more complicated than that."

"How?"

"Malfoy-"

"How?" he challenged.

"Because I'm not a Chaser or Keeper or anything like that," Harry finally told him. "You remember the position I had in my old team?"

"Yeah, you were Seek-" Malfoy's eyes went wide in realisation. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh," Harry nodded. "But, I told him I'm not going to join the team unless you're okay with it, like I just told you. And I know you won't be because that means I'd be taking away your Seeker position and that's unfair," he said. 

Malfoy frowned. "So you were going to let Flint come to me, instead?"

"He's the captain, it's his responsibility to handle situations like this. But, you kind of pulled it out of me. Well done," Harry muttered.

Malfoy was silent for a few minutes which was worrying Harry. He was almost sure that he was thinking of a whole bunch of spells to curse him with.

"You were a brilliant Seeker, I'll admit," Malfoy said quietly. 

Harry beamed. "Thank you. Flint said the same."

"Weren't you the youngest Seeker in like one hundred years, or something?"

"Yes."

"And you did win both matches for your old team..." Malfoy said more to himself. He bit his lip in thought and let out a big sigh. "I'll talk to Flint, just let me handle it."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked bewildered. "I don't want you-"

"Just let me handle it, okay?" Malfoy asked with a determined look in his eye. Harry stared for a moment before reluctantly agreeing. Whatever plan he had up his sleeve was all his, he'd only have to sit back and watch what happens now.

Eventually all the other boy's started coming into the dorm and getting ready for bed. Harry was so exhausted after this long and tiring day that all he wanted to do was roll over and go to sleep, so that's exactly what he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> PS: is that character development I see? friendship brewing? 😏


	9. Ron's Apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An awful Potions lesson, Harry talking to the confusing voice in his head and an emotional conversation with Ron.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I've missed this so much :')

Eventually, both boys were back in class and even though Harry had mostly healed due to his increased strength and body's healing properties, Malfoy was unfortunately still in a sling and bandage. This didn't mean they couldn't take advantage of it, though.

They were in Potions class and as Harry was working away and cutting up his own ingredients with expertise, he and Malfoy thought it would be fun to wind up Ron who continuously glared at them throughout the classes session.

"Sir, I can't cut up my ingredients. My arm hurts too much," Malfoy whined pathetically and looked down at his cauldron sadly.

"And I can't help him, sir. I've got all my hands full, see?" Harry said, pointing to all his potions ingredients and the cauldron which was currently boiling away.

Ron let out a snort from the other end of the class, clearly making fun of them. Professor Snape picked up on it and glared at him.

"Weasley! Since all you're doing is burning your potion and turning it into an acid, I'm going to ask that you actually make yourself somewhat useful for once and cut up Malfoy's ingredients for him. Go!" he snapped.

Ron gaped and let out a frustrated growl, storming over to Malfoy's table and picking up his ingredients. Harry bit his lip to hold in his giggles as the plan to wind Ron up had worked. Malfoy was looking triumphant and grinned at Ron the entire time he cut up his ingredients.

He deliberately chopped them up unevenly and Malfoy yelled out to the teacher again. "Sir, he's messing up my ingredients!"

"Weasley, switch yours with Malfoy's!" Professor Snape said and Ron scoffed, going over to his own table and getting what was left of his perfectly cut up ingredients to switch with Malfoy's. 

"Happy now?" Ron sneered at him.

"Very," Malfoy grinned. "Thank you Weasley for being so generous."

"Shove off," Ron spat at him. "You're just doing this to get me into trouble. Your arm doesn't even hurt!" he whispered at him with a glare, not moving from where he was standing in front of him.

"Then why is it in a bandage?" Malfoy asked with a raised eyebrow. "Students aren't allowed to have medical supplies unless it is an emergency, Weasley. That is the rules," he rolled his eyes.

"But you're not in pain anymore!" Ron snapped. "You're just putting it on for attention."

"I am not," Malfoy said with a fake pout.

"Harry," Ron sighed, looking at him. "Tell him to cut it out."

Harry raised an eyebrow at him before going back to stirring his potion. "Now you want to be nice? Even though you've done nothing but glare at me the entire session? Pfft, get real."

"Well, that's just because-"

"I'm not doing anything for you, Ronald," Harry interjected. "If you want something from me, beg."

"What?" Ron asked with wide eyes.

"Go on," Harry said casually with a shrug. "Beg me to stop him and I will."

"I'm not going to bloody beg you! You should just do it!"

"Why?" Harry said, finally putting down his ingredients with a harsh clatter to the table. A few eyes were on them now, including Hermione's and Professor Snape's, but he paid them no attention. He was aware that they were now making a scene, but if anyone should get into trouble for it, it should be Ron as he started it in the first place. Couldn't he just go back to his own table?

"Because it's the nice thing to do!"

"I've heard that I'm not such a nice person coming from your mouth," Harry glared. "You don't want anything to do with me anymore, remember?"

"I remember that very well," Malfoy nodded along.

"See? So, excuse me for not wanting to be _nice_ to you when you've done nothing but treat me like garbage these past few weeks, hypocrite!"

"Such a hypocrite," Malfoy sighed disappointingly. 

"Stay out of this, Malfoy!" Ron growled. "I don't... hate you," he muttered.

"Well that is news to me!" Harry said with a sarcastic laugh. It really was, however. Up to this point, he was sure that Ronald Weasley thought he was the scum of the Earth and couldn't care less if he fell off it. Still, he didn't want to let him know that his words were getting to him and making him feel emotions he's tried so hard to bury. He does what he knows best these days; shrugs it off.

Ron let out a frustrated growl and seemed to notice the eyes on them. He turned bright red with embarrassment and glared at Malfoy who snickered. "I'm going to punch you," he whispered to him and finally walked back over to his table, glowering down at the ruined ingredients and potion in the cauldron.

Harry noticed Hermione whispering to him but he wasn't saying anything back, he was just staring off into the distance and cringing at what was supposed to be a Shrinking Solution, however, it now looked like some kind of face burning solution based on the sizzling it was doing.

He firmly kept the lid over the top of the cauldron.

Harry caught Professor Snape's eye and the man narrowed them at him. He briefly wondered why he hadn't spoken up during the altercation, surely he should have broken it up? Maybe he wanted them to fight it out. Maybe he was waiting for Ronald to flip out so he could issue a detention. Either way, it got handled as maturely as it could have, given the circumstances between both boys and Harry is immensely relieved at that. 

He doesn't really know why Ron said he didn't hate him. Surely that's what he feels most? If it's some plot, he'll be sure to hex his bits off, for sure. Harry's incredibly good at duelling these days, it would be no issue. A part of him thinks that Ron may be serious, however. It begins to make him question things.

Would Harry welcome him back into his awaiting arms with affection and hugs right away? Absolutely not. If Ron wants to be his friend again, there will have to be time and patience to rebuild the bridge that has collapsed. But he won't get his hopes up. For all he knows, Ron could just want to get on his good side and use that to his advantage somehow. A very Slytherin manoeuvre, he thinks amused. He may just want to ask to meet up and want to get some potions advice on how not to blow up their entire classroom with acidic green toxic fumes, which happens right now.

He ducks under his table just as the lid blows off Ron's cauldron and thankfully, he has the common sense to put his own lid on top of his own cauldron to stop any acid from getting inside his and ruining it. 

He eventually stands back up and hears a lot of people groaning in pain and sees blisters forming on their skin. He feels thankful his table was on the opposite end of the class as that could have been a disaster. 

Professor Snape looks livid and beckons everyone to come to the front of the class for the antidote if they've been splashed. Nearly the entire class goes. Malfoy and the other Slytherins start snickering whilst Harry just sighs and finishes up his potion quickly, tipping out the solution into a vial with a proud smile and walking up to the front of the class.

"Mr Potter, you've been splashed?" Professor Snape asked him.

"No sir, I've completed my potion," Harry said whilst holding it out. 

Professor Snape took it from him and examined it carefully, giving him a pleased nod. "It is perfectly done, as always. Ten points to Slytherin, you may leave class early."

"Thank you sir," Harry beamed under the praise and ignored the rest of the Gryffindor's groans of annoyance at both the gaining of points and the fact he could leave. He quickly packed up his things and walked out the class, waiting around the corner and listening in.

"Can we go sir?" Hermione asked with a raised hand.

"Absolutely not! I think you should take responsibility for your Housemate's actions and start cleaning all of this disgusting gunk up, don't you?" Professor Snape snapped at her.

"But it was him that did it!" Seamus Finnegan yelled out, pointing to Ron who gaped. "I mean, no offence mate, but still..."

"So much for House loyalty," Professor Snape sneered. "Anyone else who has finished their potion and hasn't had a hand in this abomination of a display may leave," he said. The rest of the Slytherins who had continued to work finished up and handed their potions to the teacher who accepted them quickly and let them leave. 

The remaining Gryffindors who were too busy slacking off with their talking during the class were now left standing alone in the class with a livid Professor Snape and told to abandon their potions and focus on cleaning their messy cauldrons and the slime that was on the chairs, walls, floor and tables from Ron's explosion. 

Hermione let out an annoyed sigh and got to work, using all the best Cleaning Charms she could think of whilst some people had gotten some sponges and water to scrub. 

"If you had just left the situation alone and focused on your work," she said to Ron.

"Get off my back!" he snapped at her. "Malfoy was being a prat like usual, I couldn't let him get away with talking to me like that."

"It's better to just ignore people who are being bullies rather than humour them. You were edging him on and he was liking it, that's why he kept coming after you time and time again," she said. "It's why he always does it."

"So, I should just give Malfoy the cold shoulder?" he asked.

"Exactly," she said. "He'll get the point in time that you're uninterested and back off."

"And what about Potter?"

"What about him?" she sighed. 

"Come on, 'Mione!" he said frustrated. "He's just as bad."

" _Harry_ isn't a bully, Ronald," she rolled her eyes. "How many times have we been over this? You're being over dramatic."

Ron spluttered. "Are you kidding? Have you seen the people he hangs around with?"

"They're his dorm mates, he has to talk to them. If I were in another House, I'd make as many friends or allies as I could so I wouldn't get hexed as soon as my back was turned," she whispered to him whilst trying to get a particularly difficult stain out the floor.

"I think you'll find that Pot- Harry will be the one to do the hexing," he scowled.

"That's so unfair," she frowned.

"You heard him back there! He was asking me to beg, he's on a power trip."

"He was joking!" she snapped. "Can't you see it?"

"Quiet," Professor Snape's deadly voice spoke up from his desk where he was marking homework.

Hermione and Ron went back to whispering. 

"I don't know why you're always defending him and trying to make excuses for him. Do you have some kind of crush on him or something?" Ron asked with a cringe.

Hermione went bright red and glowered at the floor, casting more and more charms in frustration. "Again, that's so unfair. I'm just trying to be civil. One of us has to be."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're both acting like babies!" she whisper shouted at him. "You're supposed to be best friends. What happened?" Ron opened his mouth but she spoke over him. "I'll tell you. You both went down into that Chamber to see if you could rescue Ginny, of course it didn't go to plan and I'm sorry about that," she said with a sad expression. "But, blaming Harry isn't right. He didn't kill your sister, Ron."

"But-"

"No buts! I know you're grieving and you think that it's his job to save everyone, but it's not. He's just a kid like the rest of us. I know how much that stupid title bothers him, I see him cringe every time someone calls him the Boy-Who-Lived. He hates it," she sighed. "He doesn't want to be some hero. He wants to be a normal person like the rest of us, but everyone expects so much. Imagine how you would feel in that position for just a second."

Ron bit his lip in thought and looked away guiltily. "I suppose it would be a bit overwhelming..."

"A bit? Ron, people say things behind his back. Stuff like, how he must be a fraud if You-Know-Who is back and he never really defeated him when he was a baby, that his parents died for nothing." Ron's eyes went wide at this. "I know because I've been listening in, I don't just dance around the hallways oblivious like everyone else. He's annoying and rude, always has been, I'll admit. But he's still my friend, whether he wants to be brave enough to admit it too, or not. And he should still be yours," she glowered.

"It's just, after what happened..." Ron trailed off.

"You abandoned him. Not the other way around," she said firmly. "He couldn't save your sister in time, I truly am sorry. I know how much you must miss her," she laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "But that doesn't mean you have to cut your best friend out of your life, too. I know you also miss him. And he misses you." Ron grit his teeth and she removed her hand. "It's not his fault what happened. And it's not his fault he got resorted, the Hat did it itself."

"But why did he agree?" he asked exasperatedly.

"It's part of the school rules, you have to follow them. He already chose were he wanted to go at first because he wanted to be with you," she smiled. "But the Hat decided it wanted to move him where his abilities would be suited more. He's clever and cunning and ambitious. We've known that since our first year when we pulled those master plans on Malfoy and got away with it, all because of Harry."

Ron smirked at the memories and nodded. "I guess."

"And you said back then that it wouldn't have mattered. You can't take back your word," she stated firmly. "It's not like he abandoned you, like your paranoia is telling you. He just moved to the other end of the castle. He still talks to me, y'know?"

"But, he's always so rude."

"Because you're rude to him!" she snapped. "Calling him Potter and a traitor. You're not the only one who will be affected by this whole thing, remember that."

"What are you saying?" Ron asked sceptically.

"I'm saying," she glared. "Harry has to live with the guilt that he let your sister die. And he has to live with the fact that he's left you all alone in the tower whilst he goes elsewhere. And he also has to live with the knowledge that he's causing his best friend so much pain that he doesn't want to be part of his life anymore."

Ron looked like he'd been slapped in the face. It was as if he'd had a sudden realisation of some things. "I- I never-" he stuttered and turned red.

Hermione sighed, standing up. The classroom looked much better than it had before and Professor Snape allowed them to leave, but not without sending them all a cold glare making her shiver.

"'Mione?" Ron asked as they walked through the hallways.

"Yes?" she asked uninterested. Clearly she was mad at him, he realised.

"Do you think I should talk to him about this?" he asked whilst wringing his hands.

She gave him a sarcastic smile. "I'll let you figure that out for yourself."

Ron was frowning at the floor, deep in thought and turned back to Hermione again, only to find that she'd completely vanished into thin air. 

"What the-" he gaped. "Where'd she go?" he asked himself, looking around the empty hallway and seeing no sign of her. Surely she couldn't have ran off so quickly? "Hermione?" he yelled out in confusion.

"Yes?" she asked, suddenly appearing right beside him again.

He jumped back in shock and slammed into the wall. Her eyes went wide in surprise. "How'd you do that?" he asked her.

"Do what?" she asked innocently.

"You just disappeared!" he said frantically. "And then reappeared. How-"

She laughed over him. "I had to quickly check if I'd dropped a book back there," she pointed down the hallway. "Don't fret, Ronald. I'm surprisingly a really fast runner and light on my feet."

"Really?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," she smiled. "I took a fitness class in my muggle school before coming to Hogwarts."

"Oh, okay." He was still shaking slightly from the fright but tried to calm himself as they headed to the Great Hall for lunch. "I'm starving."

"When aren't you?" she grinned.

"Shut up," he smirked.

* * *

"Did you hear?" Pansy Parkinson asked him over the table whilst he was eating a ham sandwich.

"Hear what?" Harry sighed as he took a bite.

"Sirius Black," she raised an eyebrow. 

"I think everyone has, you daft loony," Daphne Greengrass spoke up from beside her and munching on some unappetising looking salad.

"Was I talking to you, blondie?" Parkinson snapped at her. "Um, no."

"Hey, that nickname is reserved for Draco only," Greengrass glared. This got a chorus of giggles from the table and Malfoy snarled, ducking his head.

"Shove off."

"Back on track," Parkinson glared. "The Daily Prophet reported that Black was recently spotted by some muggle nearby, but by the time she called in the report, he'd vanished."

"Not thinking of going after him or anything, are you?" an ugly girl named Millicent Blustrode spoke up. She hardly ever paid any attention to Harry and kept to herself. She was looking at him with amusement, as if she expected him to say yes.

Harry just scowled at her. "That's not even funny. Of course not. You think I have a death wish?" He clenched his fists when she shrugged with a slight smirk and he went back to glaring at his food. Everyone else went back to having conversation whilst he just sulked. _'What would it matter anyway? I'm going to die by the end of the year from some Death Omen coming for me,'_ he thought bitterly.

_'Don't think so negatively,'_ the voice inside his head suddenly spoke up making him jump slightly. _'I thought we were friends?'_ it asked him.

Harry grit his teeth and mentally argued back. _'I'm not your friend! I don't know who or what you are but I know I just want you to leave me alone,'_ he snapped.

_'I'm afraid I can't do that, Harrison Potter,'_ the voice sighed. Harry clenched his hands tighter, thankful for the gloves. Why did people have to call him that these days? _'Until you figure out who and what I am, I'm here to stay.'_

_'That doesn't help me in the slightest,'_ Harry frowned whilst still picking at his food. _'Mind giving me a hint?'_

_'For someone who claims to be so smart, you really are stupid,'_ the voice said with disappointment.

It took everything Harry had not to shout out loud there and then at the lunch table, otherwise everyone would think he'd gone mad.

_'Perhaps that's it. I've just gone mad,'_ he mentally sighed. _'You're nothing more than my cracking psyche from putting up with years of the Dursleys abuse and years of dealing with being a werewolf,'_ he said. _'But I won't be going back to that house anymore. Not for their sake, but for mine, so you can just disappear.'_

_'You're saying you don't want me to offer you help?'_ the voice asked.

_'No, I don't want your-'_ Harry blinked quickly, confusion taking over him. _'What do you mean help?'_

The voice chuckled. _'I thought that would peak your interest. Yes, I can offer you immense help if you so desire it.'_

Harry considered the words. They were spoken with confidence but who knows if it could be some kind of bribery or trick. He had to be careful, who knows what the ramifications of being manipulated by his very own mind were? He needs to go back to practising his Occlumency.

_'Can you help me get away from Death?'_ he asked nervously. _'I didn't believe it at first, but after reading up on many things and hearing lots of stories, I firmly believe I'm going to die by the end of the year, all because I read Death's Book'_ he said with self loathing and hatred. 

_'How do you believe you will die?'_ the voice asked him curiously.

_'They say... Dementors,'_ he shuddered. 

_'Correct. Dementors strip away the soul and leave you either a hollow shell or simply end your worthless existence,'_ the voice spoke casually, as if it were no big deal.

Harry gulped. It was surely a big deal for him, however. _'I am... aware of the procedure for these kinds of things,'_ he bit his lip nervously.

The voice chuckled. _'I'm sure you are, child.'_ Harry scowled slightly, making sure to keep taking small bites of his food as to not attract attention from anyone at the table, in case they asked if he was alright and not zoning out. _'You're aware Dementors are around your school?'_

_'Yes! And I don't like them being here, they're too close,'_ he said back anxiously.

_'Don't worry, child. They won't harm you,'_ the voice said kindly. 

_'Yet,'_ Harry said with bitterness.

_'Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine today?'_ the voice said sarcastically.

Yet again, it took everything Harry had not to scream out loud. He took in a deep breath. _'I think I'm allowed to be mad when life has some chosen destiny for me like this. Which, by the way, I completely disagree with,'_ he mentally snarled.

_'And who says we have to follow our destinies?'_ the voice said amused.

_'What?'_ Harry asked with a frown.

_'Life comes at us with random possibilities that we could never predict, unless you're a Seer, of course. But, if you're just a regular person such as yourself, you can't see into the future,'_ the voice said with a hint of amusement. _'However, if we could see our destinies in front of us, maybe we could be given the chance to drift from them. Change it. What do you think?'_ it asked him curiously.

Harry chewed on his lip and blocked out the people around him at the table laughing at something. _'If it's our destinies, why would we change it? If it's supposed to happen, why would we not follow it? It's whats supposed to happen, isn't it?'_ he asked confused. _'After all, we're not supposed to see into the future, we're just supposed to go with the flow,'_ he said surely.

_'Yet, Seers exist and can constantly tell what the future holds. Why do you think they're always so batty? Imagine constantly seeing what's going to happen in the next ten years. One year. Five minutes!'_ the voice told him dramatically. _'It would make anyone anxious to do things because you'd think if you didn't do what you were supposed to, it would be like the Butterfly Effect,'_ the voice said.

_'Like, stepping on a butterfly could change the course of human history in the future, which would be catastrophic,'_ Harry added.

_'Exactly! Now you're getting it. And Seers can sometimes make predictions that can have major influences on people, incredible impacts on the future in many ways. Things that you really should not try to change. That's why they get made into Prophecies. And these things are not meant to be seen by others, such as yourself.'_

_'What happens if someone who isn't a Seer sees a Prophecy?'_ Harry asked anxiously.

_'Do you really need to ask that?'_ the voice asked him. 

Harry thought to himself and came to a conclusion. _'It would show you something drastic that's going to happen in the future, perhaps something that involves yourself. And it's something that you shouldn't change, even if you get the chance to,'_ he said. 

_'A major Butterfly Effect,'_ the voice said grimly.

Harry gulped and thought to himself. _'Why are you telling me all of this suddenly? What's any of this got to do with me?'_

The voice chuckled slightly. _'When you're older, you'll understand.'_

_'Older? I'm going to die soon, I don't have much time left, unless you mean a few more months older and that's all,'_ Harry said sarcastically.

The voice sighed. _'What have I told you about thinking so negatively?'_ Harry pouted. If he could see this voice, if it had a physical manifestation, he'd surely punch it in the face. _'Maybe I do have one,'_ the voice said quizzically. 

_'Excuse me? All you ever do is talk. How could you have a body? I don't even see you in my Mindscape,'_ he frowned.

_'Maybe I'll be seeing you in my world,'_ the voice said casually.

_'What does that mean?'_ he asked angrily. He felt like he had to get up and leave as he was about to start shouting out loud now. _'You keep saying things like that.'_

_'Because you're too stupid to pick things up!'_ the voice snapped.

"I am not," Harry grit out loud, clenching his hands.

_'Quiet, you don't want to attract attention,'_ the voice warned him. _'Over time, you'll realise I'm actually trying to protect you, you insolent little brat,'_ the voice sneered.

Harry was taken aback. _'Protect me? Protect how?'_ he asked confused. 

_'I have stuck around and put up with your rebellious, obnoxious, temperamental and hormonal teenage self for quite a while now. If I didn't want to watch over you, I would be long gone, believe me,'_ the voice said tiredly.

_'But, you only started to show a few months ago. Around the time I read...'_ he trailed off.

_Yes?'_ the voice asked patiently.

_'Death's Book,'_ Harry whispered. _'You don't have anything to do with that, do you?'_ he asked paranoid.

The voice chuckled. _'I'll let you come to your own conclusions, smarty pants,'_ the voice taunted. _'Just remember, I've never tried to hurt you. I was the one who saved you from killing your aunt Marge at the dinner table, remember?'_ the voice said defensively.

Harry sighed and nodded, remembering the time he wanted to rip Marge's face right off but the strange voice in his head held him back and offered comforting words instead. _'Fine,'_ he snapped out.

_'Of course, later on you ended up killing her, so what good was my advice, anyway?'_ the voice muttered.

Harry smirked slightly and looked up to check that nobody was watching him. Thankfully, they were all engrossed in some story Malfoy was telling which involved something spectacular happening at one of the famous Malfoy Balls that Harry really didn't care about. 

_'She deserved it,'_ he said plainly.

_'I know,'_ the voice agreed. _'I just wish you were a little bit more sensible. You know you can't go back there now,'_ the voice scolded him.

_'And why would that be a problem?'_ Harry asked confused. He was beyond thrilled.

_'A certain Headmaster might find a problem with that, as he seems hellbent on trying to keep you there,'_ the voice said. _'Just be careful that he doesn't figure out what happened.'_

_'Pfft, he can try to keep me there and he can try to figure it out, but he won't succeed,'_ he snarled. _'I don't go down without a fight.'_

_'Oh, great and wise Harrison Potter. Do tell me, where will you go?'_ the voice asked him sarcastically.

_'I don't know, yet. But, anywhere is better than the Dursleys,'_ Harry snapped.

_'I can sense that,'_ the voice sighed.

_'I'm not so hungry anymore,'_ Harry threw down his sandwich and stood up, heading to the exit of the Great Hall. 

He wanted to go back to his common room and catch up on some notes he'd gotten from teachers that he couldn't take, as his classes overlapped considering he was taking every single one on the curriculum this year. He was a bit exhausted already but nothing a bit of hard work and studying couldn't solve. Just as he was walking through the hallways however, a rough hand grabbed him and dragged him into an alcove. 

He panicked slightly, thinking he was going to get attacked by someone and was prepared to get his wand out and send some hexes, but relaxed when he saw it was just Ron. Then his guard went up when realisation hit him that it was Ron, his _ex_ friend and he yanked his arm out of his grasp.

"Why are you kidnapping me? Get off!" he snapped at him and tried to walk past him but Ron's arms blocked him, trapping him in the alcove. "Ronald..." he warned.

"Just listen to me," Ron pleaded with a look of tiredness on his face. Harry cringed and crossed his arms, turning away from him. "Please."

That got Harry's attention and he looked at him, relaxing slightly but still remaining cautious in case he was winding him up. "Alright."

"I'm..." Ron sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked anxious and was trembling slightly. Harry frowned, he wasn't used to seeing him look like this. He looked upset or worried somehow. But why? "I guess, what I'm trying to say right now is, well, I mean-"

"Anytime this week, Ronald."

"I'm sorry."

"Whatever, now what did you want to tell me?" Harry sighed, feeling bored.

Ron turned red and shook his head quickly. "No, that's what I wanted to tell you. That I'm sorry," he whispered.

Harry was silent for what felt like hours but it must have only been about ten seconds. His arms dropped to his sides and he gulped, leaning back against the wall and trying to process what he just heard. "What?" he finally whispered back.

"Don't make me say it again," Ron groaned.

Harry shook his head and frowned, looking down at the floor in confusion. "Why did you say it? What caused this? Are you being forced?"

"What? No!" Ron said quickly. "I decided to do it myself," he sighed. "Hermione told me some things and it got me thinking."

"What things?" Harry narrowed his eyes. He would usually make a joke about now, something along the lines of how Ron was actually capable of thinking, but now wasn't the time. It was too serious a situation. If Ron screwed up though, that would be a perfect thing to fall back on, however.

Ron slumped his shoulders, looking tired and defeated. "She kind of hammered some things into my head. Things that I probably should have been aware of, by now." Harry was watching him with a frown, curious on where this was going. "She made me realise that it wasn't your fault what happened with Ginny. And I've been putting all the blame on you... which isn't fair."

Harry nodded after a moments consideration. It didn't seem like Ron was being deceitful. "Well... thank you, I guess. It's comforting to hear that, finally," Harry said quietly. He felt awkward and a part of him was feeling vulnerable. He wasn't used to talking so openly about personal things and emotions, especially as of now. The Dursleys had caused him to develop emotional attachment issues and Ron's hostile behaviour towards him lately hasn't helped, either.

Ron chewed on his lip and nodded back. They were both silent for a minute before Ron muttered. "I've been an idiot. I know you didn't kill her or anything. I _know_ that," he sighed. "But it just hurt... to know my sister was dead down there and I couldn't get to her, feeling like a failure of a brother. Then, knowing you were there too, I expected you to jump to the rescue, just like everyone else," he laughed bitterly. "That wasn't okay. For me to just put her death and the blame to your face. And I know you didn't just take off and abandon me, either."

Harry swallowed and took in a shuddering breath. Damn Ron for making him _feel_ things. But, he knows it's necessary. He just fiddles with his fingers anxiously and nods.

"Thanks," he says, avoiding eye contact, out of embarrassment or sadness and longing, he doesn't know, and doesn't wish to find out. "That means a lot." He really meant the words, too. He hoped deep down that his ex-friend, possible reunited friend would know that. 

But, it would take a long time for them to properly reconnect after what's happened between them. It's a slow journey he's willing to make if Ron would be on board. The first step was for him to simply be a man, a brave Gryffindor, and admit his faults, then they could proceed forwards with whatever connection or relationship they wanted to have with one another. So far, Ron has now completed that part which pleases Harry greatly. 

They stand there in silence for another minute before Harry clears his throat. "I ought to-" he says, pointing in the opposite direction.

"Oh, yeah. Me too," Ron nods. They walk awkwardly away from each other in the hallway and Harry expects Ron to shout out something to him, but he doesn't know if he'd have his own courage to turn around, so he keeps walking.

Ron, on the other hand is also wondering if he'll hear Pot- no, _Harry's_ voice call out for him. An awkward part of him says 'no, don't', but another part of him wants it, deep down. He misses his friend... well, ex-friend. But, he doesn't think he'll admit that out loud to anyone, not even himself in the mirror. He doubts Harry would, too. Maybe that's one of the reasons they were good friends in the first place; both stubborn and stupid. 

_'Will things go back to the way they were?'_ Ron thinks to himself. _'Who knows? Not me. Do I want it? I refuse to think about that, as I'm scared of the answer, whatever it may be,'_ he sighs. 

He keeps walking on, not turning back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> First thing: this quarantine stuff has made it difficult to update regularly because I have to take care of my two younger brothers at home, who are usually at school and out with friends, therefore giving me my free time, but that's not the case anymore. I'm usually a daily updater but recently it's been every week/couple weeks. Don't worry if I'm gone for a while again, I'm never abandoning this, if you think I am.
> 
> BACK TO HAPPY THOUGHTS! I'd love for everyone to take some guesses on who they think the voice is! One person a while back took a random guess at something in the story and it came pretty close. So any suspicions, come at me. I'll be surprised if anyone actually gets it ;) no spoilers though. They're a MAJOR part of the story!


	10. Harry's Boggart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unpleasant Defence class, making plans with Silas and worrisome thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter overall is kinda sad and depressing tbh, I don't know how that happened but oh well

Since his emotional talk with Ron a couple of days ago, Harry's been keeping an eye out on the boy from a distance. He still feels awkward and anxious as the day it happened and he doesn't know how to proceed being around him or talking to him, right now. If he glances across the Great Hall and the boy spots him, he'll immediately turn red and avoid as much eye contact as possible.

He's beginning to think perhaps he's just embarrassed about his upfront display, where he spilled his emotions and wore them on his sleeve; something Harry would never do.

He's also been avoiding Hermione with great difficulty. He now knows that she was a major part in why the conversation took place and he doesn't want to get questioned in any way. Whenever he sees her in the hallways, he'll walk in the opposite direction as fast as he can, despite hearing her loud footsteps not too far behind. He knows that sooner or later, he'll have to talk to her and he just hopes she won't want to talk about it.

As he's lost in his thoughts, Malfoy's cocky voice pulls him back to reality.

"I'm so glad I can be rid of that awful bandage. My arm was growing sore," he sighs in relief whilst stretching his arm.

Pansy Parkinson raises an eyebrow from where she's sitting across from him on the common room couches. "The point of the bandage was to make sure your arm _doesn't_ hurt. Your logic is flawed," she says amused.

Malfoy scoffs. "My logic is flawless, thank you very much. I just don't like being restricted by a piece of fabric."

"Maybe if you hadn't gotten yourself nearly killed, you wouldn't have had to feel that way in the first place."

"Hey!" he snaps. "It wasn't my fault."

"Or mine," Harry mutters in self defence, in case she decides to put the blame on him.

"See?" Malfoy smirks.

"Whatever," Parkinson scoffs. "Just don't do it again."

"Aw. Look at you being worried for me," Malfoy smiles.

"Gross, no," she cringes. "It was just embarrassing for us, that's all."

"Yeah, yeah. We already had the scolding, don't start it up again," Harry sighs as he rubs his tired eyes.

"I'm just glad to see the oaf no longer teaching. I hope he gets fired from the school, all together. I wrote to my father about the incident and he is not happy, at all." Harry eyed Malfoy warily. "He has lots of influence, people will listen to him."

"What do you want to happen to Hagrid?" Harry asks.

"Perhaps, thrown back in Azkaban," Malfoy snorts. "Lock the Hippogriff away with him."

Harry pursed his lips but didn't say anything as he didn't want to start conflict. He doesn't have anything against Hagrid, but they've never been on the closest of terms. Most of the time, it was always Ron and Hermione wanting to go down to his hut and talk whilst Harry wanted to go back to bed and relax. Plus, he tried to reinforce negative stereotypes about Slytherin House before he even came to school, despite the fact that's where he's ended up.

So, if Hagrid is so hellbent on trying to say his House is 'evil' or 'bad', then he'll gladly let Malfoy insult him.

He pulls out his wand, casts a quick Tempus and sighs. "We've got Defence in ten minutes, let's go," he says as he stands up and heads for the exit. They follow behind him and chat the entire way there, taking seats right away. Malfoy sat next to him, much to his surprise, and he had a big grin on his face.

"What's up with you?" he asked sceptically.

"Let's see how long this new guy lasts," Malfoy grins.

Soon, the rest of the class comes in and take seats. Harry noticed Ron sitting at the other side of the room from him and he lets out a quiet sigh. He also notices Hermione sending him a small smile but he just avoids looking at her, missing her hurt frown.

Eventually, Professor Lupin came into the class, looking raggedy and tired but much better than last time. He informed everyone to put away any books and quills they have.

"We'll be having a practical lesson today," he told them all with a smile. Everyone got grins on their faces, they never had practical lessons in class. "If you'd all follow me," he said and headed for the door, everyone quickly hurrying behind.

He led them to an abandoned classroom with no chairs or tables inside. The only thing in the room was a dusty looking wardrobe which was rattling slightly.

"What's that, sir?" Hermione asked, pointing to the shaky wardrobe.

"Inside that wardrobe contains a Boggart," he told the class. "Does anyone know what a Boggart is?" Nobody raised their hands and he smiled. "Alright, I'll tell you. A Boggart is merely a shapeshifter and it takes on the appearance of what frightens us the most. They often like dark and enclosed spaces, such as this wardrobe."

"What does a Boggart actually look like, sir?" Hermione asked again.

"Nobody knows," Professor Lupin shrugged. "However, we do know they take on a specific form once in front of a person. The one inside hasn't took a form yet, as it's locked up and alone. But what happens if we let it out?" he asked. "There are nearly thirty people in this room."

Hermione bit her lip and spoke. "It might get confused because there's so many of us. If there's only one Boggart and it takes on the form of a person's fear..."

"Absolutely right!" Professor Lupin clapped. "It'll become disorientated and confused, not knowing who's form to take. But, there is a way to defeat a Boggart. They feed on a person's fear, so what we have to do is believe that the form it took is simply amusing. The incantation is 'Riddikulus'."

"This class is ridiculous," Malfoy rolled his eyes from where he was standing near Harry. He just ignored him and focused back on Professor Lupin.

He showed them the wand movements and everyone started copying and repeating the incantation. 

"Now, we're going to need a brave volunteer to come forward and demonstrate. Who'd like the opportunity?" he asked the class. Everyone looked nervous and Professor Lupin just pointed to the person closest to him. "Neville, how about you?"

The boy's eyes went wide and he took a shaky step forward, standing next to the teacher. "O-okay..."

"Tell me, what scares you the most?" Neville whispered something that nobody could hear. "I'm sorry?" Professor Lupin asked.

"P-professor Snape," Neville stuttered. Everyone laughed at him and he turned red in embarrassment.

"You live with your grandmother, don't you?" Neville nodded his head nervously. "What kind of clothes does she wear?"

"Um... she has a hat with a stuffed vulture on it. And a big red bag," he said quietly.

"Interesting. Picture those clothes clearly in your head, don't let the image fade away," the teacher said. "And when I let this Boggart out, you picture those clothes."

Everyone started giggling, knowing where this was going.

"Okay..." Neville gulped nervously. Professor Lupin opened the door to the wardrobe and black smoke came out, floating in front of Neville for a few seconds before morphing into the image of a stern Professor Snape. Neville took in a deep breath and raised his wand. "R-riddikulus!" he yelled out, and much to everyone's amusement, the intimidating image of Professor Snape turned into a confused looking Snape, wearing a dress with a big hat and a red bag.

"Excellent, Neville!" Professor Lupin cheered.

Everyone hurried to get into a line, excited and nervous for their turns. Pavarti Patil stepped forward and the Boggart turned into a bloodied and bandaged mummy. She let out a whimper and shakily raised her wand, casting the incantation, making it's head fall off.

Whilst everyone was taking their turns, Harry began thinking to himself. _'What could I possibly be scared of? Would it be Voldemort? If it is, I'll surely be able to tackle the Boggart as I've faced him in person multiple times and won,'_ he thought smugly.

_'And what if it's not?'_ the annoying voice in his head spoke up. _'What if it's something you didn't even expect?'_

_'Like what?'_ he mentally argued back. _'Oh god, what if it's another werewolf?'_

_'Hmm, could be...'_

_'But, I don't want everyone to see a werewolf for my sake! What if they put the pieces together?'_

_'You'll just have to wait until it's your turn,'_ the voice said in amusement. Harry grit his teeth and clenched his gloved hands hard. It was nearly his turn and he was feeling a bit wheezy from anxiety.

He heard Ron's whimpers when it was his turn and saw the Boggart turn into a massive spider. He felt both amusement and sympathy for him. He knew his biggest fear was a spider but it was still amusing to see him put rollerblades on it. He was surprised to see Hermione's Boggart was an angry Professor McGonagall telling her she's failed her exams, and he hoped his would be something as silly as that.

Sooner than he would have liked, it was his turn and he gulped. He stepped forward and held his wand tightly, hands trembling slightly. The Boggart turned into black smoke, yet again and swirled around him for several seconds, as if trying to decipher what his fear would be. Eventually it began to grow larger until it nearly reached the ceiling, still smoky and black. The room began to get colder and he shivered, feeling a sense of unhappiness take over him.

With a shocking realisation, the Boggart had turned into a creepy looking Dementor and was floating in front of him. He heard everyone behind him gasp and take steps back but he couldn't tear his eyes away.

_'It's not real, it's not real, it's not real,'_ he told himself.

The Dementor reached it's cold hand down and trailed it along his face, just like last time, and he shivered. "I'm... coming for you... We... all are..." it's eerie voice whispered into the now silent room.

Harry ground his teeth and glared at it. "No you won't!" he yelled and the Dementor squeezed his face tightly, making him wince at the harsh and icy cold pressure.

"We... will..." it said again, making everyone in the room whimper.

He tried to raise his wand but found himself almost paralysed with fear. It was as if his arms were weighed down with anchors. The Dementor suddenly started to open it's mouth and leaned it's head towards his, as if trying to give him a kiss. Then, with another horrific realisation, he understood it was demonstrating the Dementor's Kiss and he attempted to jolt back, but it's grip was unrelenting.

Suddenly, there was a bright light filling the room and soaring towards the Dementor, making it hiss in pain. Harry realised it must have been Professor Lupin casting his Patronus again.

_'About time...'_ he thought irritably.

It let go of his face and Professor Lupin stood in front of him protectively, trying to block the Dementor from getting to him. Much to his shock, the Boggart turned into the full moon for him and Harry eyed the teacher with confusion.

_'Why would his Boggart be the moon?'_ he thought, staring at it. He felt a little uneasy, despite knowing it was just a piece of magic. But, that was to be expected, as the moon wasn't exactly his friend.

_'Hmm, why indeed?'_ the voice said, making Harry frown.

"Riddikulus!" Professor Lupin shouted out and the Boggart turned into a white balloon. He then threw it back into the wardrobe and locked the door, making sure it wouldn't escape. He was silent for a moment before turning back around, looking awfully pale. "Class dismissed..." he trailed off and everyone grumbled whilst leaving.

Harry was rubbing at his sore cheeks where the Dementor left ice burn marks and slowly headed towards the exit. He stared long at the teacher whilst at the door, making sure everything was okay. The man was leaning against the wall and rubbing his eyes, looking much more tired.

He felt like he was missing something vital, as if important information was staring him right in the face, but his foggy mind couldn't place it. He sighed and exited the class, deciding that it wasn't worth it.

He ignored Malfoy's bitter remarks on their walk through the hallway about the teacher's raggedy clothes and awful appearance.

"He looks like he's poor," he moaned.

"We can't all be rich like you, Malfoy," Harry sighed.

"It's not like you're poor," the boy said with a raised eyebrow. "Your family is well off, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah..." Harry muttered. He didn't really think too much about money, but now that he was giving it some thought, he realised whilst he wasn't as rich as the Malfoys, the Potters were definitely somewhat wealthy. He's not one to brag, however. "But, I'm not going to make fun of others who have less."

Malfoy scoffed. "Whatever. I'm just glad you cut ties with Weasley. His family is an embarrassment to the Wizarding World, some purebloods."

Harry sighed but didn't say anymore. There was hardly any use in getting through to Malfoy during topics like this, he was way too cocky and proud. He definetly wasn't going to tell him that he'd had a conversation with Ron recently, either. He knows that wouldn't end well.

"I'm going to the Great Hall for some lunch, are you coming?"

Harry shook his head. "I'll catch up, I have something I need to do." Malfoy didn't question him as he split off from him. He had to collect more notes from the teachers in his other classes that he'd missed due to his timetable overlapping. So far, he's been keeping on top of his routine and even though it was stressful at times due to the excess work, he felt confident that he'd complete every class perfectly.

When he reached his Muggle Studies class, he was surprised to see Hermione there with grin on her face as she exited the class. He spoke up before he could stop himself.

"Hermione? How are you here?" he asked her in confusion.

Her eyes bugged out and she gulped before composing herself with smile. "Harry! I came here to... talk with Professor Burbage."

He pursed his lips. "About what?"

"I'm a muggleborn. It's nice to talk to a teacher who understands muggle culture," she shrugged.

He thought she was acting slightly strange and wondered how she managed to get to this class on time, even before him, but decided to shrug it off as it was hardly any of his concern. "Alright then."

She bit her lip and took a step closer to him. "Harry, now that you're here, I've been wondering-"

He cut her off. "No. I don't want to talk about whatever you've been thinking of."

She frowned and crossed her arms. "And, how do you know what I want to talk about?"

Harry glared at her. "It's obvious. You were the one who told Ron about that stuff and he's the reason he came to me."

"But, it didn't go bad, did it?" she asked hopefully.

"Well, not exactly-"

She spoke over him. "Then what's the problem?"

Harry threw his hands up in frustration. "I just don't want more people involved in this, that's all! I know you were already aware, but giving advice on things just makes me feel awkward."

"But, why?"

He sighed. "Because, I'd like him to come to me on his own terms. Not just because he was persuaded."

She shook her head. "He wanted to come to you, anyway. He just needed a bit of a motivational boost. And I think you do, too," she narrowed her eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he crossed his arms and glared at her.

"You're both ridiculous. I know you miss each other, so why don't you both just suck up your pride and go talk to one another?"

Harry scowled. "We already did. It was fine, he apologised and I'm thankful for that."

"Well, that's good! Now, go talk to him again."

"About what?" he asked sceptically.

"Anything!" she snapped. "I hate seeing you either glare or ignore each other in the class or halls. It's not right."

He rubbed his eyes and kicked at the floor in frustration. "I know that... I'll- I'll think about it," he muttered.

She watched him silently for a moment before nodding. "Alright, good."

Harry looked past her and towards the classroom. "I'm going to get some of my notes, see you later?"

"You're still taking every class?" she asked.

He rolled his eyes. "Obviously. Do you take me for a lazy idiot?"

She pursed her lips. "Of course, not."

"Then why do you ask?" he snapped and walked past her, heading into the class to collect his notes.

* * *

Harry stared up at the ceiling as everyone else around him slept. He had his sketchbook out and had drawn himself with a scared expression and the scary black entity in front of him, leaning down to try and take his soul. It wasn't something he'd liked to draw and it disturbed him greatly to put it to paper, but he had to get out his emotions. He'd filled half of his sketchbook up already, with drawings of bloodied rats and dead aunts and young girls in chambers. Yet, this image disturbed him the most.

That thought itself should have unnerved him and had him questioning the state of his mental wellbeing, maybe had him thinking that he should talk to a Mind Healer, but he figured he was already messed up enough as it is and that it wouldn't matter.

He couldn't sleep and so he put away his sketchbook, then continued to look through his bedside drawer. He spotted the Basilisk fang he still had from last year and grinned, picking it up carefully. It was still filled with venom and an interesting thought popped into his head.

_'Brewing potions always calms me down... Maybe I should try to experiment? It surely couldn't hurt,'_ he wondered.

_'And what would you plan on brewing?'_ that irritating voice piped up again, making him jolt in surprise.

_'A good poison, perhaps? Maybe, I could recreate something like the venom I used on Marge.'_

_'And what would the purpose of that be for?'_ the voice asked him curiously.

Harry frowned. _'I don't know. Enemies?'_

The voice laughed. _'You're way too paranoid, child.'_

_'I think I have every right to be when I have people and things coming after me. This could just be one way for self protection,'_ he scowled.

_'Well then, have fun.'_

_'I will!'_ He got up and grabbed his Invisibility Cloak, along with the Basilisk fang, then headed for the exit to the Slytherin common room downstairs. He walked silently on the way to Professor Snape's potions lab and checked to make sure he wasn't around. When he was sure the coast was clear, he unlocked his door and crept inside.

For the next couple of hours, he spent his time mixing the most potent and dangerous of ingredients to his venom, hoping something would come up. He got some interesting results, such as toxic fumes that had him wheezing and sizzling liquid that burned through the vials. He figured it was a good start but over time, he'd just have to practice and adjust the formulas until it worked perfectly.

Maybe, he could create a resulting poison that could suffocate and burn through the victim's trachea when digested, and they wouldn't know it had been swallowed because it was slipped into food or drink and was tasteless. The thoughts were endless.

He cleaned up the mess and exited the classroom, deciding to head back to his dorm. That's when he caught sight of movement from the corner of his eye. He blinked rapidly and hid back under his Cloak in case it was a teacher. He didn't want to get caught out of bed and with venom in his pocket, he'd surely be expelled, at the least.

Then, that familiar scent hit him. It was the strong, reeking iron smell, like that of dried blood. His eyes went wide and he took a step forward towards that direction.

"Silas? Is that you?" he whispered. He didn't know who else it could be. Nobody else would give off a strong bloodied scent like that, unless they were being murdered, and he didn't hear any screaming.

"This way! Hurry," he heard and quickly followed the sound of the quiet and echoing voice through the dungeon halls. It led him to the yard outside and the quick figure that was the vampire appeared in front of him with a razor sharp toothed grin. "Nice to see you again, Harrison."

Harry just glared irritably at him. "I wish I could say the same." The vampire's grin dropped and a look of confusion and hurt crossed his face. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you in _weeks!_ " he snapped.

"Well, about that," Silas started off with a frown. "I had something important I had to do."

"Like what, exactly? You couldn't have even written a letter to me? You kept me in the dark when I needed someone to talk to! Do you have any idea of what's happened lately?" he spat at him.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Silas smirked. "I may have been away for a while, but I still kept an eye on you from a distance."

"And what do you know?" Harry crossed his arms defensively.

"I know that you murdered your aunt," he said bluntly and raised an eyebrow. "I honestly wasn't expecting that, to be honest. Although, I'm not surprised..." he trailed off whilst looking him up and down. Harry shifted uncomfortably on the spot, not particularly liking the specific conversation. He was referring to the other one at hand. "You can't go back home now, you won't be welcome."

"As if I ever was," he scoffed. "It's hardly a home."

"Fair enough," Silas agreed. "And that book? Someone's been naughty, hasn't he?" he said sarcastically.

"Shut up. It's not my fault!" he snapped defensively.

"Oh? So, someone just tells you that bad luck falls onto people who read it and you think it's still a good idea to buy it anyway?" Silas asked with a frown. "I thought you were supposed to be smart."

"I am smart!"

"Then prove it, stupid child!" Silas snapped, making Harry grit his teeth. "No more messing around, this is serious. There's a lot of pressure for you this year. Turning into a criminal, reading Death's Book, Dementors coming after you and not to mention, Sirius Black who has it out for you. Or has that slipped your mind?"

Harry gulped. "I honestly forgot about him... I've been so worried about everything else, like my class schedules, Ron and fitting in with the Slytherins."

Silas waved his hand. "Unimportant things, forget about that. What we need to be focusing on is how we're going to help you."

"Actually, what we need to be focusing on is where the hell you've been," Harry sneered. "Care to explain what was so important?"

Silas sighed. "I've been travelling through Europe." Harry's eyes went wide at this, he just thought he'd decided to stay home and not bother talking to him anymore which hurt. "I've been talking with other werewolves, for _your_ sake," he glared.

"Why?"

"Because, I wanted to get their opinions on things, understand their own personal experiences," Silas told him. "Some of the werewolves I met didn't have access to the Wolfsbane Potion, so I unfortunately had to find them in their transformed state, which wasn't pleasant. Others did have access and explained their side effects, just like you have. And others told me how they changed."

"How did they change?" Harry asked curiously.

Silas bit his lip with his sharp fangs. "Some of them were just by rogue wolves, like yourself. But, a lot of them were changed by a certain man..." He gave Harry an unpleasant look, as if debating whether or not he wanted to tell him. "His name is Fenrir Greyback, he's a werewolf who takes pride in himself and willingly doesn't take Wolfsbane Potion because he likes the transformations in order to hurt and change people." Harry gaped at him. "He was a follower of You-Know-Who."

"That's insane!" Harry gasped. "Why would anyone enjoy this? It's torture and it's painful," he cringed.

"Well, not to him. He enjoys the torture. Not just for himself, but for others, too," Silas sighed. "The wolves I met all said that when he was working for You-Know-Who, he liked to take young children and bite them in order to transform them, so they could be raised as the perfect weapons for the war."

Harry frowned and clenched his fists. "Where is this Greyback now?" he growled.

Silas shrugged. "Nobody knows. After the First Wizarding War was over, he just... vanished. Probably went into hiding because he had nobody to serve, anymore. Just like the rest of You-Know-Who's followers. That, or he's dead."

"I hope it's the latter!" Harry spat hatefully.

"You're not alone in that opinion," Silas told him with a small smile. "But, don't worry, I'm back now. If it means that much to you, next time I have to go somewhere, I'll leave a note so you don't fret."

"I'd appreciate that," Harry sighed.

"The whole point of this was to find out what dangers are out there in this world, especially regarding you and your... situation. Now you know," he raised an eyebrow. "Which makes me question your currently abilities, as of now."

"Current abilities?" Harry asked with a frown.

"You're certinally talented and ahead of your peers in specific things, but you're still young and have lots to learn. Remember, I am your mentor and we have yet to begin your intense training. You can't just go out there into the world with no proper idea on how to take care of yourself. And you definetly can't expect to just always use your werewolf abilities to your advantage, because that won't always work. You need to improve your magic and quickly," Silas told him seriously.

"What's the point? I'm apparently going to die by the end of the year," Harry scowled.

Silas glared at him. "Enough with the negative attitude! You're part of this 'Slytherin House', aren't you?" Harry nodded. "And doesn't it pride itself on self preservation?" Harry nodded again. "Well, then. If you improve your magic, become stronger, I don't see why that should happen."

"You really think I can beat this thing?" Harry asked hopefully.

"It's worth a try. But, at the end of the day, your survival lies in _your_ hands only. Don't be an idiot by sitting back, being lazy and taking what comes at you, like you've been doing so far," he glared at him.

Harry turned red. "Fine... What do you need from me right now?"

Silas raised an eyebrow. "We needed a place to meet, remember? We can't just keep meeting in the yard, people will begin to notice. Have you sought out a place? I've been away and unable, so I hope you have."

Harry hummed in thought then clicked his fingers. "The Chamber of Secrets!" he grinned. "Where I went last year with Ron to try and help him get his sister back because she got kidnapped." He frowned and clenched his fists again. "It didn't work, though. Voldemort... he killed her."

Silas sighed. "And where is this sister now?"

"They buried her, obviously. There's also..." he scratched his head. "There's the Basilisk. It's still down there. The Chamber only opens to Parseltongue and nobody else speaks it, so people haven't been able to get in."

Silas looked shocked. "So, you just left it there?"

"What on Earth was I supposed to do?" he yelled. "It's a sixty foot snake. Plus, I had to use a spell on Ron to make him forget I spoke it and I took care of Lockhart by feeding him the venom! I can't let other people know! The Headmaster is already suspicious of me," he scowled.

Silas nodded. "Alright. Tell me where it is and the password and I'll go down there for you to... clean up."

Harry told him the location of the girl's bathroom and spoke the password to Silas in Parseltongue, letting him get familiar with the hissing sound until he repeated it perfectly.

**"Open,"** he hissed. "Is that correct?"

Harry smiled. "Perfect."

"You go back to bed now, I'll take care of the rest and contact you when the time is right," Silas told him firmly before taking off in the blink of an eye. Harry was left standing there in the yard alone and sighed, putting the Cloak back over his head and walking quietly back down to the dungeons.

* * *

Before he knew it, the end of the month had approached and he was loading himself up on the dreaded potion again. He blamed his weak posture and awful appearance on tiredness and stress from all the school work when his dorm mates asked if he was alright. 

Much to his and Malfoy's disappointment, Hagrid had gone back to teaching and they took the best of precautions to stand as far away from him as possible to avoid any more injuries. They were working with some Flobberworms, which were pretty harmless and boring, but due to Harry feeling unwell recently, he had promptly passed out during the class and had Hermione catch him before he cracked his head open, yet again.

When he woke up in the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey demanded he stay in his bed for the duration of the week where he could suffer alone during his 'time of the month', as they'd taking to calling it, much to his humiliation. Malfoy had constantly insisted that the reason he fainted was due to Hagrid giving them silly creatures to look after that were harmful to students and he went back to trying to get him fired. 

Harry didn't have the energy to try and correct him, at all.

Zabini had also told him that Professor Lupin didn't bother to show up to classes recently and had looked rather ill, too. This got them all paranoid and thinking that a virus was spreading due to the winter weather approaching, but he assured them it was because he was a new teacher and probably couldn't handle the stress. At least, this was what he believed. 

He still felt like he was missing something when it came to that teacher but he couldn't put the pieces together. Perhaps he's met him before coming to Hogwarts or seen him in Diagon Alley; he doubts it would be Knockturn. 

His tired brain felt overly exhausted with the confusion and he decides to forget about it. If the teacher has any issues with him, he'll pull him aside and talk to him. 

Nott had came to him a few times during the week with a bundle of his school work which he had to catch up on and he spent his tired days completing it, before the awful night of torment hit him like a ton of bricks. 

_'I can get through this. I can do anything I put my mind to,'_ he thinks to himself as he writhes in pain during the middle of the night, the glow of the bright moonlight showing through the glass windows and clear water of the lake. It would be a mesmerising and beautiful sight, if not for the fact that he had tears streaming down his face and Nessie hissing in his ear that it would all be over soon, yet he couldn't bring himself to feel comforted. 

It would never be over, this was it for him until he dies. 

_'If I am to die, let me do it myself. I don't want Dementors coming after me anymore. I'm so sick of fighting with Voldemort. Being a werewolf hurts too much,'_ he thinks self deprecatingly and sobs. _'My life is in my own hands, so let me end it,'_ he thinks as he stares off into the ceiling, shock and pain taking over his body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> You may have noticed I've changed my style of writing a little bit; I added borders! I never knew how to do it but I finally figured it out so yay :) poor Harry tho...


	11. A Chat With Lupin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quidditch practise, meeting in the Chamber and talking with Lupin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not the best at action scenes and this chapter is basically that. Bare with me lol :')

Days later when he was feeling slightly better, he made the decision to try and get out of bed. He'd been feeling extra weepy lately due to everything going on, it felt like it was all building up and he was almost reaching breaking point. 

He decided one Saturday afternoon to take Nessie out a walk on the grounds and ignored everyone's stares as she wrapped herself around his shoulders. He didn't go out too far as he could see the Dementors in the distance as they surrounded the castle, giving him a churning stomach. 

**"Nessie, do you think Silas is right? That I can be saved?"** he asked her when they were alone.

**"I certainly hope so. How am I supposed to go on if I don't have my youngling around?"** she said upset. **"You can't leave me and that's final."**

Harry smiled and stroked her body softly. **"That's the last thing I want to do, girl."**

**"Then don't."**

**"I'll try my hardest,"** he promised her.

**"Good."**

He'd try his hardest to stick around for Nessie. She had been there for him all this time and done everything in her power to make sure he kept safe and comfortable. He couldn't just leave her, they were bonded. He vowed to practice as much magic as he could and listen to whatever Silas told him, even if it was extreme. He wanted to be okay, even if he felt like the opposite.

* * *

"Potter!" Marcus Flint yelled out to Harry as he was sitting in the common room and catching up on school work.

"Flint," he said back casually. "What can I help you with?"

"Quidditch," he said plainly. "You're playing."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Am I?"

"Oh, yes you are. The youngest and best Seeker in the school? You think you can just get away with not playing?"

Harry smirked and turned to face him fully. "Flint, I genuinely love Quidditch and I miss it. But, haven't we had this talk already? Malfoy is the Seeker."

"He gave it up," Flint grinned.

"He- wait, what?" he asked in shock.

Flint sighed. "Malfoy came to me not to long ago and said that if it's best for the team, he'd give up the position and be a Chaser instead, which I offered him. He accepted. So, the position of Seeker is available and nobody else but you is going to take it."

"Wow," Harry muttered. "I didn't think he actually would..."

"Well, he did. Shocking, I know," Flint rolled his eyes. "But, it's a sacrifice that's for the best. Now, we start practice later on today. Be there," he said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

Harry just nodded and stared after Flint as he walked off. "Well, that was surprising."

"Are you complaining?" Malfoy's voice suddenly spoke up from behind him. 

He turned around to face him with a grin. "Not at all. I guess I must thank you, that would have taken a lot of courage to say something like that."

Malfoy nodded. "And a whole lot of sucking up my pride."

"I believe you."

"Hmm," he said. "So, later today you'll show us all if you've still got it," he grinned.

"Shove off Malfoy," Harry scoffed. "I never lost it and I never will."

"Prove it then," Malfoy smirked. 

Harry glared. "I most certainly will."

"Looking forward to it, Potter." He walked off and Harry sighed, going back to his school work and thinking of all the best manoeuvres he could pull off later in the pitch to make a good impression.

* * *

"Alright, listen up!" Flint yelled out to his Quidditch team mates, making them immediately stop chatting. "We're going to win the Cup this year, do you know why?" Everyone looked at him with curious eyes. "Because we have Potter as our Seeker now and he's not going to let us down. Isn't that right?" He looked to Harry who quickly shook his head. "See?"

"But what about Malfoy?" someone shouted out.

"Potter's a quicker Seeker than I am. But it's probably because he's so little," Malfoy told everyone. Harry hid his embarrassment by looking at the ground. He knew he was only saying that to somewhat defend himself and he couldn't blame him as he'd do the same, but it was still a bit irritating to have his stature pointed out. 

It was a fact, however, that the best Seekers often had smaller and skinnier builds so they could soar through the air quicker, therefor it worked out in his favour.

"Enough chatting, let's get in the air and start practising!" Flint snapped and everyone kicked off from the ground, flying up high into the air above the pitch and taking their places.

Harry watched in amusement as people chased after the Bludgers and tried to dive out the way as they headed for their skulls. He had to admit that his team mates were pretty good players, especially the Keepers who managed to block almost all the Bludgers from getting through. After flying around aimlessly for a while, Flint decided to let him have his go of catching the Snitch.

He grinned to himself as everyone stopped to watch him. He had his team members practice trying to block him so he couldn't get to the Snitch when he spotted it in the far distance and thought of more manoeuvres he could use to his advantage, as this would be the situation with the Gryffindors and they wouldn't go easy on him now, considering they had Oliver Wood for a Captain.

When Malfoy pulled up in front of him with a grin, Harry frowned in concentration and decided to soar high into the sky, going from 100ft, to 150ft, then 200ft. Malfoy slowly trailed after him, glancing nervously at the height below, then Harry caught him off guard by suddenly dropping down as fast as he could, speeding down towards the ground at 50mph. Malfoy followed after him and Harry could sense his anxiety from the way he was slowing down behind him. 

The boy had pulled up at an unimpressive 50ft, making Harry snort to himself. He kept going, however, not pulling up until he was merely an inch from the ground with a triumphant grin on his face and soared as quickly as he could towards the Snitch, whilst Malfoy and the other players were gaping in shock. He caught it in his hand and smiled at them all, noticing Flint's astonished face.

"That was a Wronski Feint!" Flint gasped. "How did you do that?"

Harry shrugged and looked at the Golden Snitch in his hand which was glimmering under the afternoon sunlight which peeked out through the clouds. "What can I say? I'm incredibly talented," he boasted. He meant for it to simply be a joke and to get a laugh from Flint, but instead the boy shockingly smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Damn right, you are!" he said. "You do that during the game and we're definetly going to win. It'll be even better, considering the Gryffindor team replaced you with some loser. You'll certinally show them who's superior."

Harry nodded and looked back down at the Snitch. He'd make it his mission to catch it before the other Seeker did as soon as his eyes caught it. Perhaps, he'd even trick them into smashing face first into the ground. The thought makes an evil smirk cross his face. They'd spent all their time recently making fun of him and turning against him, so it'd be nice to take them down a peg or two.

He throws the Snitch back in the air and watches it fly away into the distance, deciding to chase after it again and put more speed into it, like he knows he's capable of.

He catches it within two minutes.

* * *

"Hey, Potter! Your owl is hanging around down here, should I let him up?" Pansy Parkinson shouts up to him at the staircase when he's in his dorm.

He sighs and gets out of bed. "Will you stop misgendering my animals? Both Nessie and Hedwig are females," he glares at her and heads to the common room to see his fluffy white own sitting on the table and hooting happily when she spots him. "Hey, girl."

He takes the letter from her leg and frowns at the content inside.

> _Meet me at our destination as soon as possible_
> 
> _Tell no one!_
> 
> _**Silas** _

Harry shoved the letter in his pocket and gave Hedwig a stroke on her feathers before heading back to his dorm, grabbing his Invisibility Cloak and sending out a mental command to Nessie, allowing her to wrap herself around his shoulders. He headed out the common room and Hedwig flew past him, heading back to the Owlery whilst he headed for the girl's bathroom.

He knew that Silas didn't mean to meet in the yard as they agreed it was no longer safe, plus he gave him the password to the Chamber of Secrets. He must have been done with his 'cleaning up', as they'd appropriately called it and so he headed quietly for the entrance, hissing to the tap when there.

**"Open,"** he said and the sink opened up, revealing the familiar dark tunnel which falls miles beneath the grounds to the school. **"Are you alright to do this, Nessie?"** he asked his familiar in slight worry.

Nessie nodded her head. **"Are you kidding? If this slide is anything like that fancy bus, then I'll surely enjoy this!"**

He rolled his eyes at her, remembering how much she loved riding the Knight Bus, despite the fact it made him throw up every time. **"Hold on,"** he told her as he slid down the tunnel quickly, stomach twisting at the speed he was going. It was different from Quidditch where he could control the drop. He couldn't always tell where he was going to end up when going down here.

Thankfully, there were no injuries when he landed on the hard floor below. He noticed that the fallen roof which caved in due to Lockhart's spell was no longer blocking his path and the walls were no longer destroyed. It was as if nobody had been down here before, everything was shiny and clean. There were hardly any pebbles or dust on the ground, either. **"Looks like Silas did a pretty good job..."** he muttered, impressed.

He continued to walk through the Chamber, looking out for any sign of movement that could be the vampire, but all he could hear was his own footsteps and Nessie's hisses.

**"Didn't you say there was a giant serpent down here, youngling?"** she asked in confusion. **"Where is it?"**

**"It's dead, Nessie. I killed it,"** he said sadly. **"Not that I wanted to, of course. But, Tom Riddle had complete control and it was going to kill me. I had no choice in the matter. I still feel awful,"** he said with regret. 

He remembers his last words to the Basilisk, telling him how sorry he was for hurting it and ending it's life, especially in such a cruel manner. If Riddle, _Voldemort_ hadn't taken advantage of the poor thing, he'd love to come down here from time to time and try to befriend the Basilisk, himself. Perhaps, introduce it to Nessie. It would have been good for her to have another snake companion. But, it wasn't meant to be.

That's just one other reason for Harry wanting to kill the man. The Basilisk wasn't the monster, Voldemort was. He _is._

Eventually, they reached the entrance to the Chamber past the massive doors and he saw the familiar platform surrounded by water and statues of serpents, then far off to the distance, Salazar Slytherin's statue where the Basilisk had emerged. He looked around in fascination. It certinally was a much better sight than last time now that there wasn't any dead snakes, evil diaries, possessed eleven year old girls and psychopaths trying to come back from the dead, attempting to kill him.

He let Nessie down and she started exploring with a look of wonder on her face, if he could call it that, and said words of praise.

As she had her back turned, Harry felt something slam hard into him and throw him right across the platform. He landed hard on his back and let out a loud groan. He was thankful he had increased strength and agility, therefor the landing didn't break his back. He looked around in shock and was surprised to see Silas standing above him with a sharp grin on his face. 

"About time you got here, I've been bored waiting," he said.

"What was that for?!" Harry yelled whilst attempting to stand up. Nessie was hissing at the vampire threateningly, attempting to bite at his legs and ankles.

**"You dare attack my youngling? I shall rip your throat out, blood sucking creature!"** she hissed.

"Why don't you call off the snake? Her venom can't hurt me but I'd still rather not have a nasty bite mark," Silas frowned down at her.

Harry sighed and beckoned Nessie over. **"It's okay Nessie, he's a friend."**

**"A friend who attacks?! He is as bad as the orange haired one!"**

Harry held in a grin and shook his head. **"I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation. Allow me to ask,"** he said calmly. "Explain why you tried to kill me," he glared at the vampire.

Silas rolled his eyes at him. "So dramatic, child. It's your own fault you were attacked, you have that wand of yours, so why don't you use it?" he raised an eyebrow. "You're here to learn and since you've been down here, I've had my eyes on you, yet you haven't noticed because you were too busy chatting with your little friend there."

Harry gaped. "I was looking around for you!" he shouted. "You were nowhere to be found. I thought I was alone."

"But, you weren't," Silas grinned. "I've been hiding in plain sight, moving in the shadows silently. Just like any enemy and predator would do, so you must keep your eyes and ears open more. You are a werewolf, you have heightened senses, don't forget that," he told him firmly. 

Harry nodded. "I suppose. You're much quicker than me, though..." he narrowed his eyes. "You'd easily win a fight or race against me," he muttered irritably, not wanting to admit it, although it was the truth.

Silas smirked at him. "That is true, child. But, that doesn't mean you can't still put up a good fight. Especially against other beings, such as wizards. They're only humans, after all."

"And you're saying I'm... better than them?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"If you want to be. You're physically stronger, yes. As for magic, you can channel some of that into your body if you try hard enough, as magic works in all kinds of ways."

"Interesting. I never knew that," he said with curiosity. 

"Because you never bothered to find out," Silas rolled his eyes, making Harry glare. "Oh, stop that. Now, we have lots to practice from this day forth. Some of it will come easier, some of it will be tiring. Are you prepared?"

Harry took in a deep breath then nodded. "I'm ready. What will you be teaching me?" he asked enthusiastically. 

"Lots of things, life skills," Silas told him. He began listing things off with his fingers. "How to be aware of your surroundings, for a start. How to duel properly. How to stay in control of your accidental magic if the time arises. How to better your Mind Arts. How to fight with your hands. How to improve your cunning. And how to Apparate," he said. Harry's eyes were wide with the list of things said. "If things go well, I _may_ also teach you some specific spells that you wouldn't find in any books..." he grinned. 

"Like what?" Harry asked with wide eyes. 

"I'll leave it up to your imagination for now." He gave Harry a thoughtful look and sighed. "And perhaps in the long run, if I think you can handle it, there is a specific branch of magic that hardly _anyone_ knows how to accomplish. I've seen many wizards over the past few hundred years attempt and they've either given up or blown themselves up." Harry's gaped in shock. "Which is why I must make sure you are ready and can handle it."

"What branch of magic is this?" Harry asked bewildered. 

"It's called Shadow Magic," Silas said slowly. "Don't bother looking for it in any books, whether in the Restricted Section or even Knockturn Alley, as you won't find anything on the matter. It's a highly forbidden and rare form of magic, or at least it was at the time, and it's incredibly dangerous and difficult to perform. I believe only five people in the history of the Wizarding World have ever managed to succeed in this branch of magic and I've seen a couple of these wizards first hand. The rest, I have heard about through other people."

"And that's why it's not in any books? Does nobody know it exists?" Harry asked.

Silas nodded. "Correct. Maybe a few people, especially those of a darker affiliation have heard of it in passing over the years, but nothing has ever been proven as it has been done hundreds of years ago and nobody would know how, so how could they write about it?" he raised an eyebrow.

"That makes sense. So, if I were to accomplish this then I'd be seen as a genius!" Harry smiled widely.

"You'd be seen as an anomaly, for sure. Perhaps, even a threat, more than you already are. Which is why I strongly recommend you to never show anyone or use it unless you're in a life or death situation that calls for it," Silas gave him a hard look.

"Alright, fine," Harry sighed. "What is this Shadow Magic, anyway? Do I create shadows on the ground or walls? That doesn't seem very dark," he snorted. "Kinda spooky, but not like dark magic."

Silas shook his head. "You don't create a shadow, child. You _become_ a shadow," Silas told him seriously.

Harry's head cocked to the side. "Huh?"

"By your command, your body loses it's physical structure, you no longer stay as your human, or in your case, werewolf state. You become a new entity; a dark, orb like shadow that can float, fly and move through the sky, hide in the dark and destroy things in it's path. You can even stop people's hearts if you go through them," Silas said. Harry gulped and bit his lip. "Like I said, it's dangerous and very rare."

"It reminds me a bit like an Obscurus. I read about those a while ago," Harry muttered.

Silas nodded quickly. "You're absolutely right, it's a very good comparison to an Obscurus. Except, an Obscurial can't control turning into their dark and shadowing entity as they've lost control of their magic due to suppressing it, and eventually it kills them. Technically, it's a magical medical condition, such a shame. Whereas, Shadow Magic is done willingly and when done correctly, it can't harm you."

"And this is what you want to teach me?" Harry asked sceptically. 

"Not now," Silas said firmly. "You're too young and small. Too inexperienced. We'll give it a few years and see how you do then."

Harry nodded and looked down at Nessie who had calmed down and went for a nap. He smiled at her and turned back to the vampire. "So, what now?"

Silas grinned. "Get out that wand of yours, you're going to need it."

"Why?" Harry asked slowly.

"Because I'm going to try to snap you in half," Silas said casually with a soft smile. "And you're going to stop me, or you'll perish down here forever like the Weasley girl." He suddenly jumped quickly at Harry again and he whipped out his wand from his holster, casting a spell.

"Bombarda!" he yelled out and blew up the platform in front of Silas, making him wince and fall back with a sharp toothed grin, congratulating him on his quick thinking, before jumping at him again. The fight went on until Harry was sweaty, sore and bleeding from his nose. He was pretty sure it was broken, but he was still having a great time.

* * *

Harry was working on his extra homework when he heard noisy voices coming from an aisle behind him. 

"Your stupid cat tried to eat Scabbers again," Ron's shrill voice spoke up. "Get rid of it!"

"No he didn't! Why don't you get rid of that ugly furball you always carry around, it's disgusting," Hermione's voice said.

"My rats a furball? At least he doesn't shed his hair!"

"At least Crookshanks doesn't leave droppings everywhere," Hermione accused.

They started bickering back and forth and Harry let out a loud groan of frustration, slamming his book shut and turning around to march into the aisle where they were standing. 

"This is a library. Can you both please just shut up?" he whisper shouted. "I am trying to do my work, just like everyone else here. I thought you of all people would understand the importance of that," he said, pointing to Hermione who had the audacity to look ashamed.

"I'm sorry, Harry. You're right, we shouldn't have started this here," she apologised in a quiet voice.

He nodded to her in appreciation but frowned when Ron spoke up loudly again.

"We? I think you mean you!" he said to her. "It's your cats fault, after all."

"Ron, Crookshanks didn't do anything, I swear," Hermione glared.

"He did too!"

"I said shut up!" Harry whisper shouted again. "You've both been at this for months. Just give it up, already. If it's such a problem, keep your pets as far away from each other as possible."

"I try!" Ron defended. "But her cat always finds it's way to my poor Scabbers."

Harry rubbed his eyes and held back the words he actually wanted to say, which involved a whole lot of _'your rat is gross, let the cat eat it, even Nessie won't eat it, it belongs in the bin, I always said it smelled weird.'_

Instead, he went for something a little more appropriate. "That's just what Kneazles do. They're hunters. But, your rat is kind of smelly..." he heard Hermione snicker and held back his own grin at Ron's betrayed face. "I doubt Crookshanks would want to eat him."

"You always insult Scabbers! What's he ever done to you?" Ron glared.

"Make my nostrils hurt?" he muttered.

Ron scowled at him. "I wouldn't be surprised if your snake went after him."

"Not this again," Harry sighed. "Nessie finds him gross."

Ron gasped and clutched a hand to his chest. "Well, your snake is gross!"

"How? She doesn't smell and she's clean," he raised an eyebrow.

"It's just weird to have a pet snake, that's all," Ron said childishly.

"But it's normal to have a pet rat?" Harry smirked.

"He's been in the family for years," Ron glared.

Harry rolled his eyes at him, bored of the conversation. He knew he'd get nowhere with Ron on the matter. He was always so defensive when it came to that stinky rat. He simply turned away and went back to his desk where his books were, going back to his homework which was far more important right now.

After a minute, he heard footsteps coming his way and Hermione sat herself down across from him. She dropped her bag on the floor and got out her own books, clearly deciding to study with him. He eyed her work but didn't say anything, it wasn't as if he owned the library.

Ron stood back and mumbled to himself, debating whether he should join or not. 

"Ron, come over! You asked for help on your Transfiguration work, I said I'd help you," Hermione snapped at him. Ron sighed and walked over to the table, sitting next to her and getting out his own things. Harry chose to ignore them both as he was still in a foul mood and was working on some other topics. He wouldn't kick Ron away or get up and leave just because he's here but he'd keep silent on the matter, especially since they were in a library.

Whilst Hermione got busy chatting with Ron and handing him several notes, trying to explain wrist movements and certain incantations, Harry got lost in his own thoughts. 

He was still sore from his first training session with Silas a week ago and they'd agreed to meet up a couple of times a week, when he wasn't busy with his Quidditch training. His plate was now really full but he was sure that he could pull it off, especially with the encouraging words from the vampire. He'd made it very clear that he'd have to put in all he had from now on if he was to survive in this world and he was excited to learn the new branches of magic. 

The idea of Shadow Magic stood out to him. It was definetly something that sounded quite frightening when he thought about the dire consequences for wizards who failed and got themselves killed, but he wanted to prove he was a great and powerful wizard. He wanted to be one of the best, so when his time came and he learned, he'd do everything within his power to achieve this ability. 

The curses Silas said he could teach him made his stomach swoop excitedly. He still had the Trace removed from his wand, therefor any spell he'd cast wouldn't get him caught by the Ministry and he wouldn't get expelled from school or tossed into Azkaban. If he didn't have the Trace, he'd already be serving a life sentence as of now based on the things he's done and most likely will do in the future.

He's pulled out of his slight manic thoughts by Hermione's excited voice. "Are you excited for Hogsmead?"

Harry looked up and glared at her as she was talking to him. "You're kidding, right?" She gave him a confused look and he scoffed. "Have you forgotten that the stupid muggles forgot to sign my permission slip? Or did you just want me to feel more miserable by saying it again?"

She looked ashamed again and ducked her head. "I'm sorry, I completely forgot. But, you'll be able to go next year, I'm sure of it!" she smiled. "Just ask them then."

Harry shook his head. "I _highly_ doubt that..." he trailed off. He wasn't going to admit that he wasn't welcome back at the Dursleys, at all. How could they sign his slip if he wasn't there? Even if he was, he knows they wouldn't do anything for him. As if they'd grant him the privilege of having a nice Christmas with his friends after he'd killed one of his relatives in cold blood.

"Well, maybe you could ask Professor McGon- I mean, Professor Snape," she blushed after correcting herself. "He's your Head of House now. Maybe, he'll sign it."

Harry pursed his lips and shook his head. "He might want to but it wouldn't count as he's not my guardian. He'd get into serious trouble," he sighed. "I couldn't do that to him."

Ron snorted. "Why not?"

Harry glared at him. "Because he's my Head of House, a good teacher and my mentor."

Ron scoffed and refused to look at him. Hermione gave him a quizzical look. "In what way does he mentor you?"

"He teaches me all about Potioneering. He's been doing it since my first year, he's very good. How do you think I get the best grades in his class? Extra help, that's why," Harry shrugged.

"Are you sure it's not favouritism, since you're a Slytherin?" Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow.

Harry frowned at her. "Were you even listening? If you paid any attention to me over the years, you'd have noticed that he's been mentoring me since I was in Gryffindor House. It has _nothing_ to do with what colours I were on my robes," he scoffed.

She nodded in understanding and they soon fell into silence, although it wasn't exactly comfortable. Ron was still scowling down at the table grumpily, Hermione was looking awkward considering she brought up the topic of conversation in the first place and Harry was scribbling furiously at his notes whilst trying to ignore them both.

Soon, they had to leave for class and Harry quickly packed up his stuff, walking away as quickly as he could, stubbornly not wanting to walk with them as they'd ruined his enthusiastic mood.

* * *

"You can't come to Hogsmead?" Malfoy asked him in the dorm as he wrapped a thick scarf around his neck. "That sucks."

"Why can't you go?" Nott asked him as he slipped on a thick coat. 

Harry sighed and groaned into his pillow miserably. "The stupid muggles, that's why," he spat.

"Even more of a reason to hate them," Malfoy cringed.

"No arguing there," Harry mumbled. Hogsmead weekend had come quicker than he had liked. He was too busy focusing on his Quidditch practise, training with Silas and managing all his classes at once that it slipped his mind. Not that it mattered, anyway. It's not like he could go. "I hate this. And I hate them!" he snapped.

Nott sat down on the edge of his bed. "Don't worry, Potter. We'll make sure to bring you back plenty of sweets."

Harry hummed in thought. "Good ones?"

"Like there's any bad ones," he rolled his eyes.

"Like I would even know!" Harry threw his hands up.

Malfoy snickered and exited the dorm with the rest of the boys, leaving Harry alone and feeling pity for himself. 

He stayed there for a while and just talked to Nessie who attempted to cheer him up. She suggested he go out for a walk as it wasn't healthy to stay indoors at all times and he begrudgingly agreed. 

When he got to the common room, he was saddened to see that he was the only person there as everyone else had gotten their slips signed and were off having fun. He didn't have anyone to talk to now and he couldn't even make conversation with Hermione or Ron if he wanted to as they were off, also enjoying their Hogsmead visit.

"Merry Christmas to me..." he muttered self deprecatingly, heading for the exit.

He decided to go for a walk, not really having any destination in mind when he was stopped by a figure in the hallway. 

"Harry?" Professor Lupin's voice called out to him. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at Hogsmead?"

Harry let out a sigh and smiled at the teacher, although it was fake. "I should but I'm not."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Because my relatives didn't sign the permission slip, so I'm stuck here," he said tightly and clenched his gloved fists.

The teacher frowned at him. "I'm sorry to hear that. Would you like to come into my office and have some tea? I've just brewed some," he smiled.

Harry didn't have anything better to do, so he just shrugged and followed him inside, taking a seat near his desk. He smiled when he got his tea and took a drink. After a moment, he noticed the Professor staring at him and couldn't help but feel awkward. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just that I heard a certain teacher made a... prediction with some tea leaves recently. You're not worried, are you?" Professor Lupin asked with a raised eyebrow.

Harry held in a gulp and shook his head quickly. "Not at all. She's mental, I don't believe in that rubbish," he laughed. He wasn't going to admit that her prediction was scarily accurate and he had a tough year ahead of him due to some Omens not liking him very much.

"Then why did you take her class?"

"I'm taking every class this year," Harry said confidently. "Because I'm the best student this school has seen in a while. If that means I have to put up with her insane ramblings for a good grade, I will."

Professor Lupin was looking at him with both amusement and something akin to pride. "Well, I must say that I'm very impressed," he smiled.

"Thank you," Harry smiled. "Hermione Granger tries her best to take my throne but she'll always fail," he said with a roll of his eyes. 

The teacher eyed him up and down contemplatively for a minute before nodding. "I'm glad you're confident."

"Hmm," he nodded and went back to sipping on his tea. 

There was suddenly a knock on the door and Professor Snape was standing there with a cauldron in his hands. He looked grumpy when he glanced to the teacher but his eyes suddenly widened in shock when he spotted Harry in the classroom, too.

"Har- Potter, what are you doing here?" he corrected himself. He sounded uneasy which confused him.

Harry frowned. "The Dursleys didn't sign my form so I'm stuck here." He noticed Professor Snape scowl at the mention of his relatives and continued on. "Professor Lupin offered me some tea."

"Right, yes, of course. Why don't I just bring this back later?" he started to back out the room and Professor Lupin began to stand up. 

"Severus, is that for me?" he asked with a smile.

Professor Snape glowered at him. "Yes... but it is incomplete. I must finish it and make sure there are no mistakes. Later, Lupin." He eyed Harry warily as he left the classroom with the cauldron held tightly to his chest.

"That was strange, even for Severus," Professor Lupin said with a frown, scratching his head.

"Professor Snape isn't strange," Harry narrowed his eyes. "He's the best Potions Master in all of Britain."

Professor Lupin's eyes went wide. "Oh? You know that, do you?"

"Of course I do. He teaches me everything I need to know about Potions. That's why I'm the best student in my year, possibly the school," he said with a grin. 

"Fascinating. Severus teaches you personally?" he asked curiously.

Harry nodded. "Yes. But, we don't really talk about it often. It's more of a confidential thing when he mentors me," he shrugged.

Professor Lupin hummed and took a sip of his tea. "Alright then." He eyed Harry up and down again before speaking. "Is he... is he your Head of House?"

Harry frowned. "Have you been living under a rock?" he asked sarcastically. "Of course he is. I'm a Slytherin, after all. That's his job."

Professor Lupin sighed and nodded. "How is it, then? Being a Slytherin student? They don't give you a hard time, do they?" he asked cautiously, although Harry had no idea why.

He raised an eyebrow at the teacher. "Of course not, we snakes stick together. House unity," he said with a smile. "Besides, I know how to take care of myself if anything were to happen."

"Would your... little friend help you out?" the teacher asked slowly. 

"Little friend?" Harry asked confused. He caught on after thinking for a moment. "Oh, you mean Nessie! Don't worry, she won't harm anyone unless I tell her to," he smiled. Professor Lupin's eyes went wide and Harry shrugged. "She's a good girl, don't fret. Everyone in the dungeons _loves_ her. Especially the girls, for some reason," he laughed.

"Is she venomous?" Professor Lupin asked. It seemed as if he were trying to get information out of him for his benefit, as if he were trying to understand him in some way. Harry was more than willing to indulge him.

"Oh, very," Harry smirked. "Incredibly fast, too. And before you ask, the Headmaster knows she's here and he allows it. We're bonded, you see. And it's against nature to separate a person with their familiar. Just try taking away the Phoenix from him and you'll see how they both cope," he raised an eyebrow. 

"I understand," the teacher nodded. 

"Good," Harry smiled and finished the last of his tea. "I've got to get back to the dorms, Nessie will be waiting and she'll get cranky if I don't feed her a rat," he rolled his eyes.

Professor Lupin held up a hand and suddenly looked anxious. "H-how do you know what she wants, exactly?" he asked awkwardly. "Surely, you can't read her mind. How do you understand what she needs?" He was looking at Harry intently, as if trying to see inside his head and dig for more information, but Harry didn't feel the push of Legillemency against his mind, therefor he knew he was just staring hard.

Harry shrugged. "I'm just good with snakes," he said simply, not letting him know anything more. He smiled and walked out the door, leaving a stunned Professor Lupin alone.

What Harry didn't realise, however, was that Professor Lupin heard him talk to Nessie in Parseltongue on the train in their compartment when he thought he was asleep. The man wouldn't bring it up, however. He wouldn't know how.

_'This is James' and Lily's son, there's nothing wrong with him, he's a good boy!'_ the man thought to himself. _'I held him as a baby and he smiled up at me. He won't remember, though. He doesn't know me,'_ he thinks sadly. 

He thinks he should try to get to know the boy now, but what he's learned so far is way different than what he would have ever expected him to be. If someone had told him back in the day that Harry would grow up to be a Slytherin who was mentored by Severus Snape and was a Parselmouth, he would have laughed. But, it wasn't a joke, it was true. And he doesn't know how to deal with that.

* * *

"How was it?" he asked everyone as they came back into the common room with smiles on their faces, snow in their hair and bags filled with sweets. 

"It was amazing!" Daphne Greengrass shouted out. "We went to the Three Broomsticks and I drank so much Butterbeer that I nearly threw up," she laughed. 

Parkinson cringed beside her but still had a look of amusement on her face. "I wish she was kidding, but she's not."

"Here, have these," Greengrass smiled at him and threw a bunch of sweets on his lap. He grinned up at her and thanked her. 

"How much did you buy?" he asked.

"Far too much," Malfoy interrupted.

"Shut up, blondie!" she snapped back, making him turn red and everyone laugh.

Everyone started dumping sweets and even items which looked like practical jokes onto his lap with grins. His foul mood from being alone suddenly lifted and he was grateful for everyone keeping their promises.

He took the bundle upstairs and dumped it on his bed, waiting for everyone to get changed into fresh clothes before heading out to the Great Hall with them. Greengrass linked arms with him and he smiled at her as they walked. 

There was the familiar sight of bats and pumpkins in the hall, making Harry snort. He used to think it was quite spooky when he was younger but now he thinks it's overused. Perhaps, they should try zombies, demons or _werewolves_ to scare the little firsties. He shakes away the morbid thought with a slight smirk and takes a seat at the table, filling himself up with a ridiculous combination of pumpkin juice and pumpkin pie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> This was a quick update, wasn't it? :D just like old times. Hopefully I can start getting back on track with my daily updates like I've been doing these past four months... I hate the wait and distractions
> 
> Oh, I added more borders as you can tell! (the letter part) I'm figuring out how to improve my writing, I hope I've done well??


	12. Collecting Basilisk Parts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An attack on the Fat Lady portrait, duelling with Silas and a meeting with McGonagall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took a while, didn't it... terribly sorry. stuff was going on in my personal life that i had to do and i didn't have time for writing. 
> 
> i'm thinking of going back through to book 1 and giving all the chapters some title names, what do you think?

Harry was walking back to the common room with his Housemates when they were stopped by horrific screaming in the hallway. They all looked at each other and saw some young students in frantic tears, begging for someone to get some teachers. The portraits around them looked shaken up, too. They all took some cautious steps in the direction of the yelling students, curious on what the issue was but not wanting to get involved.

Eventually, the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall along with countless other students came running out the Great Hall and up the stairs towards the scared students, wondering what was going on. 

"What is the commotion?" Professor McGonagall demanded.

A young girl pointed a shaky hand up the staircase which led towards the direction of the Gryffindor Tower. "The Fat Lady! She's gone! Her portrait, it's all ripped up!" a young girl screeched. 

"Torn to shreds," a young boy whimpered. "Big claw marks... like sharp nails."

People around them gasped and Harry let out a sigh. Everything bad just had to happen on Halloween. It was as if the day was cursed. First, his parents died on this day, then he almost gets killed by a troll which he ended up murdering himself, then the Chamber of Secrets opened last year and now there's an attack on the stupid Fat Lady portrait. His mood is officially sour again.

Harry couldn't help himself. "Oh, who cares!" he yelled out, making people turn to him with wide eyes. "It's just a painting, she's probably off hiding somewhere else embarrassed."

The Gryffindors glared hatefully at him. "How can you say that? Show some respect!" Seamus Finnegan scolded him.

"Alright, fine. Let's get together and paint her a new one," he grinned. "A better one, where she'll look much better," he said sarcastically.

Whilst the Slytherins next to him snickered, everyone else gaped at him in shock. 

"Mr Potter, I think that's quite enough," Professor McGonagall warned him with a stern look.

He looked at her sheepishly and gave a small smile. "Terribly sorry, Professor. Maybe I have a speech impediment because sometimes I just can't hold my tongue." He held back a laugh as she pursed her lips as him. She clearly knew he was being insincere but she could hardly reprimand him as he technically did apologise, no matter how sarcastic it may have been. 

"Aren't you going to do something, Professor?" Pavarti Patil asked. "Give him a detention!"

Professor McGonagall sighed and gave Harry a hard glance. "As tempting as that offer may be," she glared at him, "I'm afraid that would be of no use. He did give an apology, after all."

"It wasn't even real!" she yelled.

"That's my final word, Miss Patil," Professor McGonagall snapped and turned back to the Headmaster. "What are we going to do about this?"

At first Harry thought she was talking about him and he felt slightly offended, but both teachers looked up the staircase towards the tower and he realised they meant the portrait of the Fat Lady. 

"Perhaps, we should try to find her," the Headmaster said with a frown and called for Filch to look around the castle and ask the portraits what they saw. 

Peeves, the irritating Poltergeist chose that moment to come join the crowd of people with a giggle. "It's little ickle children!" he said. 

"Peeves, have you seen the Fat Lady anywhere?" Professor McGonagall asked him.

He let out a laugh. "That I have, Professor Kitty." Harry held in a snort at the nickname. "She looks positively dreadful... it's hilarious!" he cackled.

"Where is she, Peeves?" the Headmaster demanded. 

"Hiding in some trees on the forth floor, your Headship. She doesn't want to be seen," he said with a sad voice. "Crying the most awful things."

"Did she say anything about what happened?"

"Oh, yes!" Peeves grinned mischievously. "She said she saw the most evil and terrifying of faces. That Sirius Black is one nasty fella," he shook his head. 

Professor McGonagall and the Headmaster both shared a worried look and nodded to each other, quickly ushering everyone back to the Great Hall much to their confusion.

"You shall all sleep here tonight until we are sure that Sirius Black is not on the premises!" Professor McGonagall shouted out to everyone as the Headmaster flicked his wand, removing the large tables from the room and summoning sleeping bags and pillows instead. Everyone started whispering excitedly, not realising the severity of the situating and thinking it was some sleepover. "Quiet! You'll listen to your Prefects," she told them all. 

Soon enough, everyone was in a sleeping bag and the Prefects and teachers were keeping an eye on the students to make sure they stayed in place and went to sleep. Harry's heightened hearing made it difficult for him to sleep however, as he could hear everyone whispering throughout the night and he wasn't allowed to tell them to shut up, despite how much he wanted to.

He heard Hermione and Ron chatting away to each other from a distance and frowned to himself when he heard them talk about him, which he didn't appreciate.

"Do you think he's still in the castle?" she asked nervously.

"Maybe... Dumbledore thinks he is, otherwise we wouldn't be here," Ron said. "Why'd you think the portrait hole got torn up?"

"Isn't it obvious? He was trying to get into the Gryffindor common room," Hermione whispered.

"What for?" Ron asked sceptically.

"He must think Harry is a Gryffindor because his parents were, so he tried to get in there to find him," she said tiredly. 

"That makes sense," Ron said slowly. "Why would he want to get him, though? What does he gain from it? He's never done anything to Black, has he?"

"Of course he hasn't!" Hermione whisper shouted. "Black is just insane, he was in Azkaban. He was a follower of You-Know-Who, so of course he'll want to hurt Harry."

Ron didn't say anything else but Harry heard shifting on his pillow and guessed he just nodded his head. They were silent for a minute before Ron whispered again. "How'd you think he got in? Could he Apparate? My dad told me there were wards around the school before," he said cautiously. "Plus, he might've been able to get past the Dementors. Again..."

Hermione sighed. "I'm not sure, Ron. I'd rather not think about it."

"Okay," he said and they both went silent.

Despite the fact that he didn't like them talking about him, he was still a little touched that they were worried for him. Especially Ron, as he didn't think he'd have anything to say at all, yet the concern in his voice during the conversation was evident and just for that alone, it made Harry feel somewhat better. 

"Are you okay?" a soft voice asked from beside him. He turned to his right and saw wide grey eyes staring at him in slight concern. "You were staring off into the distance looking lost."

"I'm fine, Malfoy. Just thinking," he smiled at the boy reassuringly. 

"About what?" Malfoy asked him, turning to face him fully. "Black? He won't get to you, the Headmaster won't allow it, I'm sure."

Harry grinned up at the ceiling, surprised at the level of comfort the boy was offering. Perhaps it was just a one time thing, but either way, he'd still take it. "I certinally hope so..." he muttered.

"Besides, if he tries anything, all the Slytherins will curse him, including me," Malfoy smirked. "You're one of us and we stick together, remember? We'll even set Crabbe and Goyle on him to just sit on his face, crushing him to death."

Harry clamped a hand over his mouth to hold in a snicker. "Thanks, Malfoy. That means loads," he said sarcastically with a grin and pulled his covers up to his neck, getting warm and attempting to fall asleep despite the fact that his back and head was hurting.

The next full moon night was right around the corner and this added stress, on top of everything else was beginning to take a toll on his body, as usual. He counted to ten inside his head, finding himself entering his Mindscape.

He was standing in the darkness, everything around him silent and peaceful, no sound of chatting students in the room, much to his relief. He walked forward and saw soft candles light up around him, along with a nice couch and warm carpet. He was barefoot and sat in the comfy chair, letting his feet rest on the warm fluff of the carpet, feeling calm at the scenery around him, enjoying the relaxing candlelight and eventually found himself falling asleep.

* * *

Everyone kept looking at him for days after the event and Harry was getting incredibly irritated. 

Professor Snape had came to him when he was alone and handed him his three vials of Wolfsbane Potion, ordering him to take them as soon as possible which he did, chugging them back with his usual cringe. It was bad enough he'd have to go through yet _another_ transformation episode, but to have people constantly breathing down his neck and asking him if he was okay regarding the Sirius Black situation, it almost had him spilling the beans on the other one at hand and he had to bite his tongue from snapping out that he most certinally _wasn't,_ as they'd think he was worried about the escaped convict when really that was the least of his problems. 

Surely, turning into a rabid and uncontrollable beast that could easily rip your throat out and eat you for dinner every month is far more troublesome than an insane man who comes from the loony bin, right?

At least that's what he thinks.

He's sitting on the ground catching his breath and glowering at the vampire above him. "Get up," he says.

"Give... me a minute," Harry wheezes whilst clutching at his chest.

Silas sighs and grabs him by the collar, hoisting him roughly off the ground with his increased strength and making him stand on his wobbly legs. "Not a minute. Now," he snaps.

"Alright, fine!" Harry yells and composes himself, brushing himself off. He's currently covered in dust and dirt that's recently started gathering on the Chamber's floor again. He also has a trail of blood dripping from his mouth where he'd bit through his tongue to hold in his yells as Silas threw him into a wall.

He wasn't going easy on him these days, that was for sure. At first, the training sessions just started with him teaching Harry some better wrist movements on his wand that would increase the quality of the spells he cast, but then he'd have him use them against him as he lunged at him, challenging Harry to keep up. He could always manage for a short period of time and was thankful for the compliments he received, now knowing that he wasn't a complete failure as he was eventually bested. 

It was embarrassing to fall flat on his arse after only a couple of minutes, but Silas assured him that he'd increase with time and Harry had been putting in as much as he could, including getting his nose busted and ribs cracked. 'All worth it in the end,' Silas would say every time.

"You're distracted today, I don't appreciate it," he told him with a frown. "What has happened?"

Harry let out a breath and spat out some blood on the ground. "Nothing." When he noticed the vampire's stern look, he admitted defeat. "Fine, it's everyone! They're all staring at me in the halls and asking me questions. I'm sick of it, I wish they'd leave me alone," he scowled.

"Ah. This is about the escaped convict, yes?" Harry nodded. "They're just worried, it's understandable."

"Whatever. I'm fine, I can take care of myself," he muttered.

"Clearly," Silas rolled his eyes and gestured to Harry's dishevelled state.

"I _can!_ " Harry growled, clenching his fists.

"Then prove it, child!" Silas glared. "We talked about this. Channel that anger you have, throw it into your magic, will it to happen. Don't lose control, just focus hard on your emotions and let it hurt," he demanded. "The pain you feel inside, let it flow outside."

Harry closed his eyes, took in a deep breath and focused hard on all the eyes watching him in the hallways and classes, all the whispers he heard in passing, all the people who mentioned his name behind his back and went to his friends for information, seeking out gossip. He focused on the teacher's wary eyes as they glanced at him and the way Peeves would snicker when he saw him. 

He let it build up until he felt his arms tingling. The tingling sensation then slowly started to spread until it reached his hands and he flexed his fingers, the tingling now turning into what felt like electricity sparking between each digit. It was beginning to sting and when he opened his eyes, he saw Silas standing in front of him with a cocky grin, as if daring or _challenging_ him to try something.

Harry growled and on impulse, he threw his hands forward, bright blue sparks shooting out his hands and slamming into the man's chest, making him collapse to the ground. The blue jet of sparks looked more like electricity and Silas looked as if he's been shocked. For a split second, Harry thought he'd electrocuted him to death as he wasn't moving, but the vampire stirred on the ground, let out a chuckle and smiled proudly up at him.

"Well done, Harrison." He began to sit up and ignored Harry's guilty looking face. "You've proven yourself more capable than I thought. As if I should be surprised."

"But, I nearly murdered you!" Harry gasped. "I thought I-"

Silas shushed him. "Relax. You cannot harm me, it would take immense dangers from beings far more powerful than yourself to kill me. I've lived for hundreds of years, do you think me so weak and vulnerable?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Well, no..."

"Good. Now, shall we continue?" he smiled and Harry nodded. After duelling for a little while longer, although much less harsh, Harry decided to ask a question which had been bothering him for a personal reason.

"When will you be teaching me to Apparate? The students here don't usually get taught until their fifth or sixth year, I think. You won't make me wait that long, right?" he asked worriedly.

"Impatient, are you?" Silas grinned. 

Harry shifted on the spot. "Maybe. It's just... It would be best if I learned how to do it as soon as possible."

"Why is that?"

"Perhaps, I need to get off the school property," Harry muttered and shrugged.

Silas eyes him sceptically. "Any reason in particular? You seem to enjoy school so I doubt it would be because you want to skip your classes."

Harry bit his lip and shook his head. "I need to get to Knockturn Alley," he whispered despite the fact nobody else was here. "I sort of made a deal with someone."

Silas's dark eyes widened and he was suddenly standing right in front of him and looking furious. "What did you do? You did not make a vow, did you? Tell me you didn't!" he demanded.

"Of course not!" Harry yelled back, feeling insulted. "I'm not an idiot! I just ran into someone who offered me a good deal which involved some money and I couldn't refuse."

"Why would you need to get money? You already have enough."

"It never hurts to have enough money," Harry rolled his eyes. 

Silas sighed. "Okay, tell me who this is."

"I'm not allowed to give out his name and he can't give out mine," he said reassuringly. "But, he was kicked out of Gringotts, just because he had a different opinion. So, he now runs a black market business in Knockturn Alley and if you give him something valuable in return, he'll give you money."

Silas hummed in thought. "And I suppose you have something valuable you wish to give him?" Harry nodded. "What is it then?"

"Well, I was thinking of giving him the Basilisk parts... I could make a lot of money from that as it's extremely rare. He seemed excited about it, too," he grinned. "But, you got rid of it, didn't you? So, I guess that idea is out," he sighed.

Silas shook his head. "I didn't destroy it all. I took it away and buried it, piece by piece. It should still be preserved, Basilisks don't rot quickly like other mammals or reptiles. It can take a year before it starts decaying."

Harry suddenly looked enthusiastic. "Really? So, this means I can get the parts back? I mean... if it's not to much trouble," he said with an awkward smile. 

Silas let out a dramatic sigh and nodded. "It shall be fine. You're lucky I like you otherwise I'd bite you," he glared at him, although there was no real heat behind it. 

Harry smirked. "You wouldn't. You said my blood would make you gag." Silas held back a smile and Harry snickered. "I'd be offended but I think I believe you. I wouldn't want to taste _dog."_

Silas just cringed.

* * *

A couple of days later, he received a letter saying that some of the Basilisk parts had been recollected and hidden down in the Chamber inside jars. 

He was free to come collect them as soon as he was available and Silas would help him deliver them to Ragnok on his behalf for the time being, seeing as he couldn't get down to Knockturn Alley himself due to the Dementors surrounding the school. Silas didn't ask for anything in return, despite the fact that Harry had willingly offered him some profit from it all if he had helped him out. 

Even though Harry insisted, the only thing the vampire asked in return was that he practice his magic to the best of his ability and therefor, Harry would make sure to not let him down.

He snuck down into the Chamber when he eventually had a lunch break and grinned at the quality of the contents inside the jars. It was far more than he'd expected and yet there was still so much more to come.

* * *

Harry was in the common room, surrounded by the rest of his Quidditch team mates, sitting around the large table whilst going over strategies for their next game on the weekend. They were all bickering and arguing over what moves to make and who was going to take down the opposite team members from the Gryffindor team, when Harry kept butting in every now and then with helpful opinions, which had Flint, the Captain raising an impressive eyebrow at him as his strategies seemed to be quite clever.

"Potter, you just focus on catching the Snitch," an irritable looking team member told him.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "You think that's all I'm good for? I'll have you know, I'm good at hand signals, too. Like gesturing at you to jump out the way so you don't get your head cracked open when you completely forget there's a Bludger coming your way because you're too busy daydreaming. I've always had to yell at you to pay attention."

The boy scoffed. "I'm focusing on everyone else," he defended himself.

"Everyone but yourself," Harry muttered. "Why are you even on the team? Flint!" he threw his hands up.

"Alright, both of you calm down," Flint sighed but glared slightly towards the other boy as if he were agreeing with Harry. "Bole, you've got the potential to be a good Beater but you've got to get your head out of the clouds."

"But... we are in the clouds," Goyle spoke up confused.

Everyone sighed and shut their eyes in exasperation. "Not like that, Goyle," Flint gritted out.

"Oh, okay."

"You're all morons!" Harry snapped. "Bole, either pay attention or get it smacked into you by a Bludger, those are your only options, no exceptions. Just whack it as far away from you and the rest of us as possible. Try and take out that new Gryffindor Seeker, she's nothing too special. That means I'll focus on catching the Snitch and I'll also deliver hand signals to anyone who needs them, I've got the best eyesight and have to keep a lookout at all times, remember. Just shout out to me. Malfoy, Pucey, Flint, you stay fast and don't let go of that Quaffle for anything, but _don't_ be reckless and crash into the ground. Bletchley, you guard those rings with your life."

By the time he was done with his speech, everyone was staring at him with a mixture of wide eyes and looks of understanding, as if deciding to just follow his orders. It confused him, considering he wasn't even the team Captain yet they all looked to him as if his word was final and weren't even fighting it. When he looked to Flint, he expected to see some amount of irritation there considering he was the Captain and perhaps he was feeling upstaged, but the boy just looked immensely proud.

"Well? You heard Potter, remember what you've to do and don't let us down!" Flint eventually barked out and everyone nodded in agreement. They left the table and Flint eyed Harry for a moment before pulling him aside. "We have to talk."

"If it's about what I said-"

"Relax, Potter. Didn't you just hear me tell the entire team to go with your idea?" he raised an eyebrow. Harry nodded in realisation and Flint continued. "I graduate next year and I need a decent Captain to take over the team when I'm gone. We can't exactly have someone like Goyle lead the team to our victory, can we? Or even Bole."

Harry snorted. "We'd just lose all the time."

"Exactly what I'm getting at! I've been watching you, you're really good. At both Quidditch and with leadership skills. If you win this game for us, how about I personally guarantee you the position as Captain next year?" Flint grinned.

Harry gaped. "You'd really do that? Out of all the people, you'd pick me? What about Malfoy?"

Flint shrugged. "Too late, I asked you first."

Harry bit his lip in thought and looked to him. "What if they don't listen to me? I'm much younger..."

"Potter, you're being ridiculous. They're following your game plan right now!" he said with wide eyes. "If you pull this off, everyone will have so much respect for you." Harry nodded in agreement. "Do you want the position?" 

Harry sighed and let a small smile grace his lips. "Fine, yes."

"Great!" Flint pat him on the shoulder and left him standing there with a grin. 

He realised it would be pretty cool to have a Captaincy badge on his robes as he walked through the halls for the next four years and when people looked at him, they'd see someone who deserved an ounce more respect. 

He was pulled out of his musings by Professor Snape entering the common room quickly and his eyes immediately went straight for him. "Potter, with me." He turned and walked back out, leaving a confused Harry behind.

After a moment, he followed the man quickly out the exit and found him waiting in the hallway with a somewhat stoic expression on his face.

"Um... what's going on?" he asked.

"How articulate," Professor Snape remarked sarcastically. He led him in the direction of Professor McGonagall's office, of all places and seemed to notice his confusion. "She would like to speak with you."

"About what?"

"You're about to find out," he said as he knocked on the door and a stern looking Professor McGonagall appeared, allowing him inside. "Thank you, Severus. That will be all," she said to Professor Snape, seemingly dismissing him.

Harry looked back to the man and noticed he was eyeing him with slight concern, as if not wanting to leave him alone in her presence but currently had no say in the matter. He appreciated the gesture and took a seat when Professor McGonagall offered him one across from her desk.

"Do you know why I summoned you here, Mr Potter?" she asked him.

"Hmm. I've got no idea. Why don't you tell me?" he sighed and smiled at her, crossing his hands in front of himself.

"It's about Sirius Black," she said seriously.

"Ah. You don't need to worry, Professor. I already know about him. I heard Mr and Mrs Weasley talking about him in the Leaky Cauldron when we were staying there over the summer. They're not exactly quiet," he shrugged. "Mr Weasley confirmed my suspicions. I'm not worried."

"You do know he's a mass murderer, don't you Potter?" she asked with wide eyes.

Harry withheld an irritated sigh. He _just_ said he knew. Although, he found that he could forgive her as this would be pretty shocking news for her if she realised he'd known all this time and hadn't came to her or the Headmaster for comfort or advice, if that's what she expected.

"Yes, I know that. But I also know he can't get onto the school grounds so I'm absolutely safe," he smiled reassuringly at her.

She bit her lip and eyed him warily before nodding. "Alright, then. Come to me if you have any worries at all, understand?"

"Understood," he smiled then looked to the door in thought. "Professor, why did you get rid of Professor Snape so quickly? It seemed as if you didn't want him here and he did seem a little bit... dare I say, reluctant to leave. I'm not trying to make accusations, it's just that I know my Head of House and what irks him."

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and looked much more serious than before. He thought she wasn't going to answer the question at first and debated between either dropping it or going to Professor Snape for answers. That or he could use Legillemency. Instead, she satisfied him by answering with a tired sigh.

"I know this is usually the type of news you should have received from Professor Snape, however when he and Sirius Black were in school together, they weren't the best of friends. In fact, they detested each other. So, I imagine it would be a sensitive subject for him to have with you," she said.

"Really? That's understandable," Harry hummed. "Why you then?"

"I was Black's Head of House when he was in school, therefore I know him, _knew_ him personally and thought it would be best if you heard it from me. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, it does," he said and was quiet for a moment whilst trying to process everything. "Is that all?" he asked after a minute.

She suddenly looked shifty and he knew that wasn't a good sign. "Not exactly. Due to everything that's going on, we don't think it's a good idea that you play Quidditch this weekend," she said.

Harry gaped. "What?!" he yelled outraged and suddenly stood up from his seat. "Who's 'we'?"

"The Headmaster, Madam Hooch and myself," she sighed.

"Why's that?" he raised an eyebrow. "Are you so threatened that I'm going to steal the Cup from you this year, you'd rather me not play at all?"

She frowned at him. "Mr Potter, that's quite enough. I'm insisting that everyone from every team doesn't play for the rest of the year. With Black on the loose and the Dementors surrounding the castle, it's too risky."

"Pfft, rubbish! Our first match is on Saturday and we've done nothing but practice. Flint is thinking of making me Captain when he graduates next year," he said smugly. "I have good leadership skills that he appreciates. They'll be a havoc amongst the Quidditch teams, not just mine, mark my words."

She rubbed her tired eyes and gave a nod. "Alright, fine. I'll have a talk with the Headmaster and Madam Hooch again and see what can be done. Don't be too disappointed if there still can't be a match," she glared.

"That's fine," he said with a grin. "I'll just talk to them both and see what can be done."

"Oh really, Potter?" she asked with a look of amusement. "And how is that?"

"You'll find that I can be very persuasive," he smirked and let the charisma drip from his voice. 

Her eyes went wide at the statement and he chose to ignore it. It was her own fault if she thought he was just going to sit back and not push for what he wanted. 

"Alright," she nodded with narrowed eyes.

He sighed. "May I leave now? I have some extra studying I have to catch up on. After all, I am taking every class this year."

She nodded again and he left the office as dignified as he could. However, when he shut the door behind himself, he let out a loud growl and grit his teeth, looking around to make sure nobody was near before delivering a hard punch to the stone wall. He grunted in pain when the wall cracked and he felt blood begin to soak through his glove but he paid it no mind. The release of anger had him feeling much better already. It was either punch the wall or rip Professor McGonagall's face off.

 _'How dare she think she can stop me from playing Quidditch and winning my rightful victory! I'll show them all that you can't just kick me aside like this, treat me like I'm nothing. I'll win this Cup for us this year and prove no matter where I go or what I do, I'm the best because I strive to be the best and don't fail,'_ he thought to himself as he headed back down to the dungeons. 

He knew his ambitions were far greater than anyone else's and he knew that's why he was a Slytherin. He just wished others would take the hint, too and stop seeing him as some silly Boy-Saviour. If everyone is so obsessed with the title, he'd gladly give it to them. 

Right now, his only focus is taking those Gryffindors down during the match.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> Do you remember Harry making a deal with Ragnok in Knockturn Alley for the Basilisk parts? I hope you do, I haven't forgotten about him. He'll be making a comeback eventually!


	13. Eerie Voices In The Clouds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Professor Snape teaching the DADA class about werewolves, an emotional transformation and a confrontation with a Dementor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Snape's basically just a dad in this chapter isn't he :')

Much to his annoyance, the full moon arrived the day before the game was supposed to begin and he was cranky as ever. That didn't stop him from putting on his bravest face and showing up to classes, however. He took the coldest shower in the morning to cool down his rapidly heating body and smoothed his long bangs over his face to hide the reddening facial scars as he headed to his Defence Against the Dark Arts class with Malfoy chattering away beside him.

When they entered the class, he was shocked to see Professor Snape's stony expression as he stood at the front of the class waiting for everyone to arrive. Harry took a seat closest to the front and raised an eyebrow to him, speaking up quietly when Malfoy chatted away to Crabbe and Goyle. 

"Sir, why are you teaching?" he whispered.

"Lupin is busy. Shouldn't you be... resting? You look rather ill," Professor Snape quietly responded with a stern look. Harry got the message and looked around to make sure nobody was listening in, although the class was still filling in.

"I'll be okay," he sighed. Professor Snape raised an eyebrow and Harry tapped his foot quickly. "Can't miss out on school work. I'm not an invalid."

Professor Snape stared at him for a second, looking as if he were about to say something when Ron came into the class looking messy and tripped over his own feet, making everyone snicker. "Unlike some people," Professor Snape muttered as he glared at the red-haired boy. "Weasley! What's with the commotion? Thought you'd make a laughing stock of yourself to start the day, did you? Well, I've got some news for you..." he glared. 

Harry bit his lip and let out a quiet snort as the teacher savagely ripped into Ron and took away House points and had the boy turning bright red from embarrassment. Eventually, he sat down next to Hermione who had somehow appeared out of thin air and had to endure a light scolding from him.

 _'When did she get here?'_ Harry thought to himself. He never even saw her walk in the door and he's usually pretty perceptive of his surroundings.

"Sir, where's Professor Lupin?" she asked after a few minutes and got a heated glare from Professor Snape. "You're not supposed to be teaching us."

Harry was astounded by the sheer nerve of her. Even he wouldn't dare say that to one of his least favourite teachers. It's most likely that Gryffindor bravado, trying to act as if she were defending the nice man and probably wanting to get him back and send nasty old Snape away. He rolled his eyes at the thought.

"He's not feeling too well. Do you have a problem with me teaching, miss Granger?" Professor Snape raised an eyebrow at her and gave her a sudden cold look that could kill.

She shook her head quickly. "N-no! Of course not, sir! I was just wondering, that's all," she said anxiously.

He smirked cruelly. "Well then, let's begin, shall we?" He handed out books to everyone and gave them all a hard look. "Turn to page 394."

Everyone quickly got their books open and frowned confusedly down at the pages. Harry raised an eyebrow and an amused smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. He was waiting for this subject to come along and knew he'd obviously get the best marks. He heard Malfoy let out a childlike howl next to him which had some people on their side of the class laughing.

Hermione's hand shot up into the air again. "Sir, we're not supposed to be learning about werewolves just yet! So far, we've learned about Boggarts, Red Caps, Kappas, and Grindylows. We're supposed to be starting-"

"Silence!" Professor Snape shouted over her. She shut up immediately. "Professor Lupin isn't here and I am teaching you for the time being, so you'll be doing the work I assign you, are we clear?" She nodded quickly again and he hummed. "Now, can anyone tell me the difference between a werewolf and a true wolf?"

"What's a true wolf?" Goyle muttered.

"It's just a regular wolf you'd find in the wild," Nott whispered to him.

"Oh."

"Precisely," Professor Snape said. "Five points to Slytherin. As for werewolves?" he looked discreetly in Harry's direction and was expecting him to answer, which he was all too happy to do. He was about to raise his hand when Hermione started shouting out over-enthusiastically. 

"Sir! A werewolf is a person who turns into a wolf like state when the full moon is out," she said quickly. "They also have to take medicine on the day they're going to turn, otherwise they lose control of themselves and will kill someone."

Harry scoffed and Professor Snape glared at her. He stalked over to her table and stood in front of her. "That is quite enough from you. This is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger. Five points from Gryffindor!"

"But-"

"No buts!" Hermione got teary eyed and started frowning hard at the table. "Besides, half of what you just said is incorrect. I'd call you an insufferable know-it-all but it seems as if you know nothing," he spat.

She gaped at him and shook her head. "But sir, I've read up on this. It's true, I swear!"

"No, it's not," Harry spoke up. "Sure, you got the first part right. Werewolves do turn into wolf like states when the full moon is out; it's called a transformation and it's incredibly painful," Harry began as he turned to face her. "But, they don't take medicine on just that day. They take it for three days in advance, and it's very hard to brew and tastes disgusting. And don't even get me started on the last part," he scowled.

"What do you mean?" she frowned. "It's what I-"

"It's what you read?" he asked. "I don't know where you got your information from but it's wrong. Just because a werewolf might have missed one dose and has unfortunately transformed, it doesn't mean they're automatically going to kill someone."

He was taking this a little bit personally now. He knew that nobody knew except the faculty, Silas and Percy, but they weren't going to expose him at all. However, he was a very paranoid person these days and couldn't help but think that she was somehow going to figure him out and then yell it out for the whole class to hear.

He decides to try a new tactic and shift the attention from what he feels like is on him and on to her, by making her seem like the bad guy. Which to be fair, she is under these circumstances as she just can't handle the word 'no'.

"But, they're not in their right frame of mind!" she snapped. "They turn into monsters that can't think for themselves."

"Monsters? They're still people, Granger. Show a little respect," he narrowed his eyes at her. "I didn't take you for the prejudice type," he says in a disappointed voice for everyone to hear, which gets the reaction he was hoping for.

"I am not! How dare you!" she yelled in self defence.

"Then don't refer to werewolves as monsters again," he said. "How can you live with yourself? You're so cruel," he sighed and shook his head dramatically.

She gaped at him and he noticed that a few of his fellow Slytherins had taken to shaking their heads at her too, in honour of sticking up for him. They might not have fully understood the situation and he most likely will receive a ton of questions about this later when they're alone in the common room, maybe even some backlash as some don't exactly agree with his opinion, but that doesn't mean they won't still defend him in their class, as snakes stick together.

"I didn't mean it like that..." she trailed off in a quiet voice, sounding uncertain.

The class had went unusually quiet during the altercation and Professor Snape continued to glare at her as he handed out sheets of parchment to everyone. He broke the silence with his loud voice.

"Enough of this. You've clearly been educated properly now, miss Granger. I hope you'll do well to remember it." She nodded and gulped, refusing to look over at Harry. "By Monday morning, I want everyone to have written an essay on how to recognise werewolves, what their differences are from the true wolves, their characteristics, how you can become infected and what helps cure it."

Harry knew there wasn't a cure and that was a trick request at the end there, most likely to drive them all insane so they'd try to find out what the best potions were. If they were smart enough however, they'd remember that he mentioned it during his argument with Granger. It was a simple medicine, but if there was a cure, he'd have chugged it all down by now. 

_'Perhaps I can try to make one...'_ he thinks to himself as he drums his fingers on the table. It'll definetly be something that would take years to make, not days or weeks. Maybe not even in this decade. Perhaps, even in his lifetime. But he's hoping that one day there will be a cure to fix this awful disease - it's the cancer of the Wizarding World except wizards don't have the chemo. 

He realises with bitterness that despite living within a world that is so advanced in so many ways, they lack so much.

Eventually the bell rang and as everyone started leaving, Professor Snape gestured for Harry to stay behind. He looked around the class and blinked in confusion as Hermione suddenly disappeared from sight. He could have sworn she was standing right in front of her desk just a second ago.

He frowns and walks over to the teacher and looks up at him. "You wanted to talk to me alone?"

"I saw the display you did," he said when they were alone with a raised eyebrow and small smile. "Impressive."

"Whatever do you mean?" Harry asked innocently.

"I mean, where you diverted the negative attention from yourself towards miss Granger," he said bluntly. Of course he'd know, he's just as perceptive as him. It's probably the qualities of being a Slytherin.

"Oh, that," Harry nodded. "Well, I had to. She was getting nosy," he narrowed his eyes.

"You were worried, weren't you?" Professor Snape asked with slight worry in his voice.

"Granger isn't exactly stupid. I don't want her putting pieces together and outing me!"

"You have nothing to worry about Harry, she won't be a problem," he reassured him. "I doubt she'll connect the dots."

"If she does, I'll just Obliviate her," Harry said with certainty.

Professor Snape let out a deep sigh and rubbed his eyes. "You are too young to be learning that spell..." he muttered, more to himself than him. 

"I'll still do it," Harry said.

"I believe you," Professor Snape glowered. "And you best not. There can be serious consequences, understand?" he warned.

"Pfft. To who?" Harry crossed his arms defiantly. 

"To the victim, for starters. Constant memory wipes can fry your brain and make you go insane. You'll forget who you are and lose touch with reality," he said seriously. "As for the caster, not much physical wise, but morally? What if you find enjoyment in it? That's not exactly the best way to deal with situations. There's a reason professional Obliviation Teams work at the Ministry, to take care of dangerous situations which are in need of memory wiping."

"I know that," Harry said with a sigh.

"Not to mention the fact that you can also get into _serious_ trouble with the Ministry if they found out you were going around and abusing your power like that by wiping people's minds, especially minors. Even if you are one," he said.

"Okay, relax! I was kidding, you're getting way too heated over this," Harry said frustratedly.

"I'm not getting 'heated' over it," Professor Snape glared. "I'm just trying to protect you." Harry was silent and chewed on his lip, not sure what to say. Eventually, the man just sighed and nodded towards the door. "Go to your next class, I'll write a note for you." He turned to his desk and began writing a permission slip to say he was allowed to be late and Harry took it silently.

As he walked to the door, he stood at the exit and frowned before turning back. "Sev?" he said. The man looked at him and Harry gave a small smile. "Thanks," he muttered quietly before turning the corner and walking away.

* * *

"What was all of that about earlier in class?" Malfoy asked him later on during their lunch break when they were lounging in the common room. 

Harry sat down his unnerving Divination book, which he was trying his best to power through without letting the superstitions get to his head. "You mean the argument between Granger and me about werewolves?" he asked.

"Obviously," Malfoy said, rolling his eyes.

Harry shrugged casually, blowing it off. "I don't know. She was being annoying. You heard Professor Snape, she's trying to be a know-it-all and ultimately failed for once," he snorted. "I never knew she had it in her," he said genuinely. 

"But you defended werewolves," Malfoy eyed him thoughtfully. "Do you support them? They are labelled dark affiliated creatures by the Ministry and aren't allowed jobs."

"I'm aware of that too, Malfoy. Do you think Granger would know that?" he scoffed. "I don't care what's labelled dark and what's not. I just wanted to see that girl knocked down a peg. She's just so... so... agh!" he growled and threw his book across the room.

Malfoy's eyes went wide. "She bothers you that much, does she?"

"You have no idea," he muttered, clenching his fists. 

He wasn't going to mention to him that he took what she said to heart. The fact that she, of all people, blatantly made such discriminatory and prejudice assumptions towards his own kind without properly educating herself... the audacity! She knows what it's like to have people judge her. 

He can't control who and what he is. It's just a medical condition and she'd know that if she looked into it more. What she did was practically ableism. He doesn't know what book she learned such rubbish from, but he's certinally going to find out and set it on fire, along with her. 

If she knew what he actually was, she'd be on her knees, begging for forgiveness that he wouldn't grant. He'd slap her across the face and tell her how pathetic she really is at times.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," he snapped and glared furiously at the table in front of him. 

He saw Malfoy, Parkinson and Greengrass give him concerned looks out the corner of his eye, as if debating on whether or not to say something as comfort. It seemed as if they didn't know what to say that would make him feel better as they weren't exactly 'friends', just Housemates as of now, so they remained quiet in hopes of letting him cool off.

He eventually stood up and grabbed his book, storming back up to his dorm in silence and slammed the door behind him. The only thing that could provide him comfort right now was the gentle and wise words from Nessie.

* * *

Throughout the entire day, he was bitter, angry and sweaty. He had to constantly reapply a Cooling Charm that just kept wearing off every twenty minutes. He'd snap whenever someone looked in his direction for more than three seconds or if someone got too close to him in the hallways. His senses were going into overload and his hearing was as good as ever, the sound of the quills scratching against parchment were gnawing at his eardrums, like nails on a chalkboard. He bit his tongue until it was bloodied and got through the all the classes which felt tortuously slow. 

He saw Professor Snape glance concerned towards him when he was eating at the table in the hall. He had tried catching him after one of his classes yet again, telling him to just go to bed and sleep the day away as this was supposed to be the plan since the very beginning. Harry agreed it was the terms set and he was appreciative of that, however he didn't want to fall behind on anything and he didn't want to appear _weak_. 

Ron told him once in a fit of rage that he was the only person who could take care of him when he was ill and since then, it stuck like glue. He needs to take care of himself more - better, in fact. When he told Professor Snape this, he got a baffled look and the man tried slapping him across the back of the head. 

"How is you tiring yourself out during the day 'taking better care of yourself'?" he asked.

"I meant that me being independent and not sitting around, crying like a baby all day is what's good for me," Harry said in self defence. He was feeling self conscious and he didn't want to take out any of his frustrations on the man who he knew was just looking out for him.

Professor Snape sighed. "There's nothing wrong with crying, Harry. It's a perfectly normal thing to do. I'd be surprised if you didn't. What you experience is incredibly difficult and painful," he looked at him with a frown. "And most of all, it's dangerous. Especially, for you. You have to get some rest or you'll make yourself very ill."

Harry laughed bitterly. "More than I already am?"

"Yes!" Professor Snape yelled. "Haven't you got that Quidditch game tomorrow?" Harry nodded. "Go to your room, summon an elf to bring you some food and get some rest."

"But-"

"Go to your room!" Professor Snape snapped, pointing down the hallway. They both glared at each other for a moment before Harry let out a childish growl and stomped his foot, clenched his fists and took off for the Slytherin dungeons.

"Fine!" he gritted out as he walked off grumpily. On his way down, he had the sudden feeling that he'd somehow just been grounded. He knew Professor Snape wasn't his father, he wasn't even his godfather, as far as he was aware. However, he realised that would be quite cool and would make sense as to why they have so much in common, but either way he's just a teacher/mentor to him and he's okay with that arrangement so far.

So why did he feel like he's just been punished and sent to his room like a disobedient child? He even blushed to himself in embarrassment when he realised he practically threw a tantrum. 

_'Oh god, I'm glad nobody was around to see that...'_ he thought in pity.

When he reached his dorm, he climbed into his bed, chugged back his potion with a grimace, summoned an elf to bring him a raw steak which he swallowed down within a minute and then pulled his covers over his head with a huff.

He stared into the darkness of the blankets for hours, not able to fall asleep and body in pain. Nessie was watching him in concern and whispering words of comfort but he just scoffed and went into the boys bathroom, casting a Silencing Charm so nobody would wake up and started screaming as loud as he could. He kicked at the walls and grunted, punched the mirrors and took pleasure in the way the glass shards broke and shattered on the ground, bloodying up his knuckles which weren't covered in his usual gloves.

He yelled out his frustrations and let out a string of swear words that would have his mother casting a spell to make his mouth taste like soap if she were here. He growled and leaned against the wall, taking in shuddering breaths before tears started streaming down his face. He then started to slowly slump down to the ground and pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them and buried his head there, focusing on his breathing and telling himself he would be okay, even if he didn't truly believe it.

After a while, he regained control of himself and splashed cold water on his face, repaired the mirrors and cleaned up the blood. He took a look at himself in the mirror and cringed. His eyes were bloodshot, he was pale and sickly looking which would surely last tomorrow and his scars were bright red, which would _definetly_ stand out. He was once again thankful for his overgrown hair to pull across his face.

He quietly walked back to his bed and smiled at Nessie who waited patiently for him.

 **"Are you okay, youngling? You seemed distressed but now not so much,"** she tilted her head.

 **"I'm quite alright, girl. I just had a bit of a panic attack. Quite common during my... episodes,"** he frowned, feeling guilty that he couldn't even admit to his own companion what this time was. He just felt so ashamed to speak of it right now.

She nodded her head, however. **"I understand. Just rest, youngling. You will fly high on your wooden brooms tomorrow and catch the glittery ball you've been telling me all about,"** she settled on the bed next to him and he smiled down at her, getting comfy again and resting a small hand on her scaly body, eventually falling asleep.

* * *

Harry woke up the next morning feeling rubbish. His muscles ached and his head throbbed, it was all too familiar. What made it worse was the fact that the rest of his dorm mates insisted on shouting in the room with excitement. He wasn't aware of who it was but someone yanked back his bed curtains and he groaned, burying his head further into his pillow and refusing to open his eyes. 

He heard Nessie hiss threateningly at the person who dared disturb him and make him feel uncomfortable and was amused to hear a girlish scream as the person at his bed jumped back. 

"Call off the snake, Potter!" Blaise Zabini yelled.

Harry growled and laid a comforting hand on Nessie, calming her down. She got the message and she stopped her threats but still kept a wary gaze on everyone in the room, being his personal protector as usual. 

"Now that your snake isn't trying to kill us," Nott said relieved, "it's time to get up. We have to beat the Gryffindors today and we can't sleep in for a second longer. Don't be lazy."

"I'm not lazy..." Harry trailed off, cuddling his pillow tightly. "Just exhausted."

"From what? Studying too hard?"

"Yes, that," Harry muttered quietly. "I stayed up all night."

"Well you shouldn't have!" Malfoy snapped. "What if you fall asleep midair?"

"Worried about me?" Harry grinned.

He spluttered undignified. "W-what? Pfft, no! I just don't want you getting killed. Because then we'd need to find a new Seeker. Shove off," Malfoy grumbled.

Harry snorted and sat up slowly, blinking rapidly to let his eyes adjust to the light. They were all watching him with frowns and he sighed. "Alright, I'm up! Let's go get breakfast."

"Crabbe and Goyle might have already eaten everything," Malfoy rolled his eyes. 

Harry ignored his childish remarks and just continued on his way to the Great Hall, intent on filling himself up with a decent breakfast so he had the energy to get through the day and play Quidditch. Once the match was over, he'd get straight back into bed and sleep the day away. He didn't want to face Professor Snape's wrath again.

As he ate his sausages, he looked curiously up to the table where the teachers sat and noticed Professor Lupin looking raggedy and worn down as if he'd been up all night. It's plausible that he'd just been grading students work, however Professor Snape did say he was sick and he looked as if he'd caught Dragon Pox and was going to drop dead. Harry could relate as that's how he currently felt in his own predicament. 

The man was stabbing viciously at his bacon and rubbing his tired eyes. He frowned at him and noticed Professor Snape muttering to him and Lupin muttering back half heartily. Even though most of the time, Professor Snape looked as if Lupin's existence made him want to get swallowed by the ground, he seemed oddly sympathetic towards the man right now and was offering some decent, quiet conversation.

Professor Snape then turned and looked to him, eyes bright with the question of 'are you okay?' and Harry gave a silent nod making the man relax. They were so familiar and comfortable with each other these days that words didn't even need to be said, just body language gave things away, and he could tell the man was worried for him still. 

He looked around the hall as he munched on another sausage and noticed Hermione looking at him with a small frown on her face, as if he was troubling her somehow. He raised an eyebrow at her and she just gave a small smile but he glared, making her shudder and turn back to her tea quickly. He felt like she was trying to unravel him and he wanted to briefly slip into her mind and figure out what her problem was but she'd broken eye contact far too soon and started sipping on her drink, making him frustrated. 

He'd like nothing more than to pour it in her face right now. 

"Everyone done?" Flint asked everyone after a while and they all nodded, deciding to leave and get changed into their uniforms.

* * *

The weather was stormy outside, rain pouring down from the sky and heavy winds blowing through everyone's hair. Madam Hooch would never insist on quitting a match unless the pitch was burning to the ground, so a little rain was nothing. Harry mostly enjoyed the cool sensation of the rain on his face as it cooled down his scarred and flushed skin. 

"Remember what we talked about before?" Flint asked them all when they were huddled together. "We're following Potter's plan here. You all better have remembered it," he patted him roughly on the back and made him jolt.

"Yeah. Don't let us down," he said awkwardly. Everyone nodded and got into position on the field but Flint held him behind. 

"This'll work, you came up with some good ideas. Plus, the new Gryffindor Seeker is a twink. She'll fall right off that broom when the wind catches hold of her," he laughed.

Harry grinned. "I suppose. I just don't want everyone to laugh at me! McGonagall tried to get me to stop playing. I think she doesn't like the idea of me being on this team," he rolled his eyes. 

"Even though she got you into Quidditch in the first place?"

"I know." There was a whistle and shout and both boys sighed. "Let's just play."

"Shake hands nicely," Madam Hooch said to both the Captains of the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams. They clasped hands but they both winced as they clearly tried to break one another's hand. "On my whistle. Three, two, one..." 

She blew the whistle and everyone shot up into the air, cold and wet winds flying by their faces and making them all shiver. Due to Harry's lycanthropy, he had an advantage, therefor he wasn't as cold as everyone else. It felt like he was taking a cool shower rather than being ice cold like everyone else would be experiencing, judging by the colour of their blue lips and finger tips. 

It was a bit difficult to see the rest of the players and it would definetly be harder to keep sight of the Snitch but these days he was very perceptive, something Silas had been teaching him to be, and if he caught sight of it, he wouldn't let it go for anything.

A Gryffindor Chaser came flying by him and he took his opportunity to stick out his foot and trip her up. She went flying quickly off her broom and down to the ground below, screaming for help that wouldn't come as nobody could see or hear her. 

He smirked as his ears picked up a thump and crashing noise then the sound of snapping wood. 

He continued on and felt the ice begin to form around the handle of his broom and rim of his goggles, but he was glad he could stand the cold. His hands were getting a little slippery though and he had to keep a tight grip. He just wished the Snitch would appear soon so he could win it for their team. He flew as closely as he could to the score board and saw Slytherin were in the lead which made him pleased. 

Suddenly, the sky turned even darker and the rain poured down even heavier. He thought he distantly heard Oliver Wood shouting out to Madam Hooch that they should just reschedule the game, which annoyed him greatly considering they were _winning_ , but he felt overcome with some feeling of dread as the clouds got dark and stormy right above him.

He was going to fly back down to the ground, considering he was really high up by now as he was searching for the Snitch, but he felt pulled towards the clouds. It was as if there was something in there, looming at him. He thought there was another player in there and they were going to prank him by jumping out, or perhaps it was finally the Snitch. He was getting a little bit closer despite the chill and then he heard it. That familiar eerie voice.

"It is you..." the croaky voice said. "You... are the one... He wants..."

Harry gaped and tried to fly backwards but he was frozen solid in shock as he stared into the clouds like an idiot. The people below him must be looking up and thinking he's gone insane if he's talking to clouds, although it's pretty hard to see him anyway due to the amount of rainfall and how black the sky is.

"W-who are you?" Harry said quietly, voice filled with anxiety. He knew who the voice was though, he just needed confirmation from it so he would know he wasn't making things up and gone batty.

"You... don't remember... us?" the eerie voice asked again. "We met... on the train..."

Harry gulped. "I remember," he breathed. "What do you want?"

"We want... you," the voice said with amusement. "He... does... He's... waiting..." it trailed off. Harry knew who 'He' was and what 'He' wanted. That book sprung to mind immediately and he went into panic mode.

"You can tell _Him_ I'm not going with him!" Harry yelled out and turned to fly away but a sudden icy cold hand reached out the clouds and grabbed his arm, keeping him still. He hissed in pain as the familiar looking Dementor appeared right in front of him, floating creepily and grabbed his face again with it's other hand, icy cold touch oddly soothing on his claw marks. 

"It's... not... optional..." the Dementor whispered into his face. Harry gritted his teeth and was so sure this was it, this was the moment where it was going to steal his soul and either leave him a hollow shell or he'd just die. He's a bit disappointed that he didn't get to win the Quidditch match first but he knew he brought this upon himself and has been waiting for this moment for months now. He takes in a deep breath and waits for his inevitable doom.

Then suddenly it stops. The Dementor throws him backwards and he stumbles on his broom, trying to stay upright. "Ow," he whimpers as he clutches his frosty arm and face.

"You... are ready..." the Dementor speaks thoughtfully. "You... do not... fear... Death..."

"I'm not fond of it," Harry narrowed his eyes then spat. "Or him!"

"But... you are... not... scared?" 

Harry shook his head after a moments consideration. He'd never really given it much thought. It's true, he doesn't want to die just like the next person. But if he has to, he'll just accept it's his time to go and do it. Or maybe that's just the way he has to think these days, with everything going on. These are probably too many mature thoughts for such a small boy.

"Maybe not," Harry glared.

"Interesting..." the Dementor watched him for a moment before nodding. "Well... goodbye... See you... again..."

It raced off just as several silvery spells shot it's way towards it, obviously the Patronus Charm cast by multiple Professors and Harry started lowering himself to the ground. The game had paused as the players below had not been able to see what they were doing and couldn't get to the ground for fear of plummeting downwards. When the Dementors were gone and the sky cleared up a bit again, everyone relaxed. 

The Headmaster was talking to Madam Hooch and it looked like he was trying to talk her into cancelling the game as she looked grumpy. Just before she blew her whistle, Harry noticed the Snitch flying around aimlessly and grinned to himself, speeding towards it and plucking it out of the air with quick fingers, successfully winning the game Slytherin vs Gryffindor for their third year. 

All the Slytherins in the crowd broke free from their earlier shock and jumped up and down yelling and cheering. Lee Jordan sounded miserable as he made the announcements but Harry didn't care. He was just glad he won. 

For the rest of the night, all that his Housemates could talk about in the common room was how amazing he was for winning the game at the very last second and how funny it was to see the betrayed looks on the Gryffindor's faces. 

They didn't bring up the Dementor situation, for which he was extremely glad. Maybe because they didn't know what to say or because they were too afraid. He didn't know or care. He was just glad it was over, at least for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> This was supposed to be posted a few days ago but things got in the way again 🙄


	14. The Scent Of Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione tries to find out some secrets, Harry smells something familiar in class and coming across a map.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're getting closer to the truth!

It was Sunday afternoon and Harry was sitting outside on the benches in the yard with a book and watching Nessie roam around lazily as she searched for stray rodents to hunt amongst the bushes and trees ahead. There was always a fat rat or small mouse to catch, maybe even a jumpy little bunny rabbit amongst the edge of the forest that he had forbidden her to go into considering the dangers of it, hence the name.

She'd often get grumpy with him and say that they have the rights to enter it considering they're both 'scary' and 'superior' animals but he'd roll his eyes at her dramatics. He didn't want those silly stargazers finding her and reporting something back to her or even attacking her.

He watched in amusement as she eyed a cat that was strolling nearby in a predatory way, clearly someone's pet, and wondered whether or not she was actually going to eat it or just scare it off for giggles.

"Harry!" 

He turned towards the sound of the voice and sighed softly when he saw who it was running towards him. "Hello, Hermione. What can I help you with today?" he said, trying to be polite, even though he was irritated inside.

He was still mad at her for her outburst in their Defence Against the Dark Arts class a few days ago when she'd blatantly disregarded all werewolves' feelings and insulted them, made a mockery of them and stuck to plain judgement and stereotype. 

Since the incident, he'd given it a lot of thought and wondered if perhaps he'd just let his hormones get the best of him and maybe he was out of line with his yelling. But, then he remembered that if the situation were reversed and someone were making such horrible comments and stereotypes towards muggleborns, she'd flip out too. Rightly so. Therefore, he shoved any guilt he had away and stuck to his statement that he made in class, making sure nothing would change it.

"You're looking much better," she smiled.

"How very... observant," he frowned. "What do you want?"

Her smile dropped. "I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm fine. Now go away," he said rudely before turning back to his book. He expected her to just storm off but he heard her huff and sit herself down next to him. He stiffened and eyed her warily. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm sitting down," she snapped.

"No, it looks like you're trying to start some kind of conversation with me that I know will make me uncomfortable," he shifted away slightly. 

"Harry, I'm trying to be open with you," she sighed. "Stop being so up and down all the time. I've told you this before," she muttered.

He glared at her and slammed his book shut. "Just spit it out then. What is it you want to talk about?"

She was silent for a moment, wringing her hands before speaking up. "We're friends, aren't we?"

Harry raised a confused eyebrow. "What on Earth would have ever given you that impression?"

"Well, we've known each other for a couple of years now and with everything that's happened with You-Know-Who and the Philosopher's Stone-"

"And you dragging me into your childish scheming that I didn't want to be part of in the first place?" he said, ignoring her hurt look. "I remember all of that vividly and I hated every single second of it."

"But, we managed to take down Quirrell and destroy the Stone! None of that could have happened if we didn't work together," she spoke with desperation although he isn't sure why.

He frowned. "Professor Dumbledore could have easily handled it, he's an ancient wizard with multiple levels of skill. But, he's just too lazy and wants to see some school children do all the dirty work for him. He wants to see if I still have what it takes to defeat Voldemort and so he sent me into a trap. Pretty manipulative, don't you think?" he glared. 

He remembered what Tom Riddle told him last year in the Chamber of Secrets, how he'd explained thoroughly that Dumbledore might have orchestrated the entire plan for him to go after the Stone in his first year. At first it sounded mad but after considering it for a while, he found himself agreeing with the ghostly boy.

He'd had a thorough talk with Silas about his thoughts and feelings on the matter. His frustrations on events surrounding Tom Riddle - _Voldemort_ \- always seemed suspicious to him considering he was always caught in the crossfire and help was never there for him. He always had to do it alone with no competent teacher, no Dumbledore. Just school friends, one who'd even died at only eleven. 

Hermione didn't seem to see sense, however. 

"Harry! How can you say something like that?" she gasped in horror. "Dumbledore would never do something like that, he's a good man!"

"Oh, do use your head before I clunk it off the stone wall," he scoffed. "I'm probably part of some scheme and will end up dying at some point in the future. You see these things in movies all the time!" he laughed bitterly.

She shook her head. "Not true," she said quietly.

"It is," he said stubbornly.

She refused to look at him and stared hard at the ground in front of her feet, biting hard at her lip until it bled. She licked it away and took deep breaths to calm herself down. She came over here for a reason.

She took a deep breath and turned to look at him again. "Fine, we're not... the closest. But, I assumed there's some level of connection between us, right?"

Harry looked her up and down thoughtfully before shrugging. "You're not as thick as horse crap so I can put up with you on some days, I suppose."

She suppressed the roll of her eyes and nodded. "That's something, I guess," she sighed.

"Where is this going?" he asked sceptically.

"If there's anything you need to talk to me about, you can," she said delicately, not wanting to overstep boundaries or scare him off. He gave her a questioning look. 

"What would I want to talk about?"

She shrugged casually. "I don't know. Maybe if you're struggling in classes and could do with some help." He let out a sharp laugh at that and she cringed slightly, knowing that was a bad example. Despite his rude and obnoxious behaviour, he was still genuinely one of the school's most cleverest students, aside from herself, she thinks smugly. "Or, if you want me to get you some medicine if you're feeling sickly again."

He tensed slightly and she saw him narrow his eyes slightly, clenching those gloved hands of his. It was exactly the kind of reaction she was hoping to get. She was unsure of how Slytherins played this cunning and manipulative game and she was feeling very put out right now as this wasn't within her comfort zone to trick someone like this. She felt like she was betraying his trust, deceiving him with false hope and words of comfort for nothing. She felt like a bad friend and wanted to cry. 

But, she also wanted to know. Because, if she knew then she could help. So, wouldn't it be worth it in the end?

"I'm not feeling sick. I'm fine," he gritted out.

"That's good," she smiled. "What was wrong? If you don't mind me asking!" she hurried out.

"I had a cold. I'm prone to them," he shrugged. "Bad immune system, Granger. Not that uncommon."

She could tell he was irritated. Whenever he was on unpleasant terms with her, he'd go straight back to using her surname. It was quite rare when he called her by her first name but she quite honestly cherished the moments when he did it, because it showed that he was still just a regular person who was actually capable of feelings when he wants to be.

She figures the reason he throws her name aside is because it most likely makes him feel more detached and he can pull away from her easier without any feelings in the way. It would be easier for him to not get hurt during an argument if they were to talk about something personal and they weren't friends, rather than them being close and potentially falling out. If she was being honest, it worked both ways but she'd never mention it. 

"Oh, okay." She was silent for a minute and watched as he smirked towards the bushes ahead. She was confused until she saw a little black cat strolling around. "Is... is that your cat?"

"No, it must be someone else's."

"Then why are you smiling like that?" she asked warily.

"Look," he said pointing to a semi-large snake that was slithering around on the grass. She shrieked and jumped back in shock. "Calm down, Granger. It's just Nessie." 

She looked a bit harder and noticed the familiar patterns on her scales and relaxed, knowing she was somewhat safe with the snake around if she was in fact bonded to Harry and would listen to him and not strike her. "Why is she roaming around on the castle grounds?" she asked curiously.

"She's _hunting_."

Hermione didn't like the way he grinned as he said this, a sudden ominous feeling taking over her. Then she saw the little black cat again and she gasped. Nessie was eyeing the poor thing up and getting ready to strike - ready to _eat_ \- and he was just letting her. 

"Harry! Don't let your snake eat the cat! That's someone's pet, for heaven's sake," she yelled in shock and went to go over there to get the cat but froze halfway, unsure how to go about the situation. This was a natural predator and even though she was bonded to Harry, she definetly didn't want to risk getting bitten by the supposedly venomous snake because she messed with her meal. She turned to him desperately. "Harry, please."

He watched her for a moment and took her shaky and frantic appearance in before sighing deeply. "Nessie," he said and held out his hand. The snake immediately slithered over and he smiled lovingly at her, having a silent conversation and he suddenly took out his wand, conjured a live rat for her to chase after. "Enjoy, girl."

Hermione watched as Nessie continued to torment the rat like she'd done to the cat and finally sunk her fangs into it after a minute, dragging it off into a bush to digest it in peace.

"You shouldn't ever interfere with nature, Granger. Bad things can happen." He gave her a cold and hard look that had made her gulp and shiver slightly. She nodded and walked back over to him, sitting back down.

"I-I know. But, the cat. It was a pet."

"And Nessie had her eyes set on it before I could stop her. If she'd sunk her fangs in before I said the word then called her off, it would have died for nothing. May as well just let her finish eating it," he shrugged. "I'm surprised she maintained so much self control. But, then again... not all monsters go around killing others, do they?" He fixed her with another hard stare and she felt like he was seeing into her very soul. She broke eye contact because it felt painful to look into his eyes. 

"I shouldn't have said what I did. I'm sorry, I was very misinformed. If you would like to educate me, I'd be more than willing to listen," she said seriously. She didn't often like to take advice from others, she was stubborn and liked to learn things on her own, much like Harry did. But, this was a rare case and she really didn't have the final say here.

"You're willing to listen to me, of all people?" he smirked at her, clearly feeling cocky. She nodded seriously. "Wow, Granger. What made you come to your senses?"

"You did." When he raised an eyebrow, she cleared a throat and elaborated. "You have more experience than I do at this. Whatever information you tell me, I'll be happy to take. I don't want to be ignorant anymore."

He suddenly went a few shades paler and she felt like she'd said something wrong. "What do you mean I have more experience? What's that supposed to mean?" he said defensively.

"Well, nothing-"

"That's right, nothing!" he snapped. "You think you know me but you don't!" He got up and tucked his book under his arm, looking towards Nessie and tilting his head, a silent gesture for her to follow him, which she did without complaint. He bent down and she coiled herself around his shoulders protectively, looking back over at her and hissing nastily, making Hermione shiver uncomfortably. 

She sighed as he walked away in the direction of the dungeons, most likely to go back to the common room. She felt like a failure in multiple ways now. Firstly, a failure as a friend for hardly even being one. She made him uncomfortable with the topic of conversation by pushing herself on him, so much so that he had to get up and leave. 

And to tie into that, she felt like a failure because the topic of conversation which had him getting up and leaving involved something that she selfishly wanted to know about, even if it was personal to him in a way that he wouldn't dare tell anyone because it could and would ruin his entire life if people found out.

She couldn't be sure, but ever since she'd decided to properly read the book Professor Snape assigned them and then got more curious, going to the library and finding more information on the topic, she couldn't help but feel as if little snippets of things were pinpointing towards... something. 

He's a Slytherin; they're known to be cunning and no matter how hard she can try, he's got that immediate self preservation that'll stop people from getting to him and finding out much. So far, that has proved to be true all these years even when he wasn't placed there. It still shone through, though.

But, if she just probes a little deeper... maybe not with him, but with the information she has and the books. She has that essay to finish writing for Professor Snape's DADA class by tomorrow and so far, all she's had in mind is one person in particular.

* * *

They were back in their DADA class the next day and Harry sat at the opposite end of the room from Hermione, still mad at her from yesterday. He didn't know what her problem was. He was pretty sure she was trying to interrogate him for something and it felt as if it wasn't the first time, considering the confusing looks she'd been giving him all weekend from before and after their argument. 

A nagging feeling in the back of his head was screaming out and telling him he was both being stupid for thinking of such a thing and telling him he was stupid for missing the obvious. It was very conflicting and irritating.

Professor Lupin sat at his desk and looked tired although he tried to maintain a good composure. Something was off about him, too. What was it about everyone lately? Was he just going mad and turning paranoid? Maybe it's a symptom of the Dementors affecting him... he's probably going crazy from fear of his imminent death that looms around the corner.

_'Or maybe you are just missing the obvious,'_ the voice said.

He clenched his jaw in anger. _'Then what is it?!'_

_'You're so clever. You figure it out.'_

The voice went silent and he took in a deep breath to hold in a scream of anger. Why couldn't anyone ever just help him? Why couldn't anything ever just be easy? Why is his life so unfair?

"Sir, are you back to teaching again?" Ron asked hopefully. 

Professor Lupin smiled and nodded. "Yes, I am. I was just a tad sickly, nothing to worry about. All better now."

"Professor Snape gave us essays but I haven't finished it," he muttered. There was a chorus of 'same here's' from around the class and people looked sheepish as if they'd get in trouble. 

Professor Lupin raised an eyebrow. "He gave you essays on what exactly? I didn't plan on giving you one and I'm supposed to be teaching the class."

"He told us to write an essay on werewolves, sir! Things we haven't even studied yet," Seamus Finnegan said. "Then he got all snappy."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. He was arguing with Hermione, wasn't he?" Dean Thomas butted in, looking at her. She turned red at the attention yet again and nodded.

"Yes, but I deserved that and I've learned my lesson. I went out of my way to go to the library and read up on some more advanced material so I won't be inappropriate again," she said stiffly. It looked as if she were trying to suck in as much of her pride as she could just to admit that out loud and he was quite astonished that she'd do such a thing.

"What would make you think you were inappropriate during class, miss Granger?" Professor Lupin asked in concern.

She wrung her hands nervously and refused to meet the teacher's eyes. "I made a snap judgement on werewolves when I shouldn't have. I didn't know as much as I thought and when I finally got real facts thrown in my face, I realised how offensive I had been and I felt awful."

"You should..." Harry muttered under his breath. Nobody else seemed to hear him except for Professor Lupin, who somehow picked it up and turned his head towards him from where he was sitting at his desk. Harry locked eyes with him and frowned slightly, wondering how he heard that from way over there. But, he was still tired and the people in class started chatting away so he just let it go.

Professor Lupin told the class to abandon the essays considering they weren't assigned by him and this got a displeased groan from Hermione. "But, I already finished mine. I went into great detail, too! All that time researching..." she trailed off disappointed.

He looked at her sad expression and smiled, getting up and holding out his hand. "Go on, then. I'll mark yours for you." Her face lit right up and she got out her essay immediately, checking over it quickly to make sure it was all correct before throwing it into the teacher's hand. "Has anyone else finished their essay?"

Whilst everyone shook their heads, Harry's hand shot up into the air holding his own finished essay. "Me."

Professor Lupin smiled at him and walked over, taking the rolls of parchment from him. "Both of you are top of the class. Ten points each."

The Gryffindors and Slytherins on both sides of the class hissed in appreciation and Harry grinned. 

As Professor Lupin began to walk away, Harry caught the brief scent of something familiar. Something that was old, perhaps years old, a distant memory. It was lingering on the edges of his mind and when he gave another strong sniff and let the scent flow through his nose, he was hit with a nostalgia that he just couldn't remember.

He didn't know where the scent was coming from or why he felt pulled towards it but he knew there had to be a reason for it and he wanted to find out what it was. He discreetly looked around himself and sniffed softly in his classmates directions as they sat at their desks, making it look like he was just breathing through his nose. He got no strong scents from any of them and this irritated him immensely. 

He didn't know what he was expecting anyway. He didn't even know who this smell could be coming from. He just knew it connected to him somehow, as if it were reaching out, and if that meant someone or something in the class was doing so, then he ought to find it.

He clenched his gloved fists tightly and glares hard at the desk, thoughts in his head running wild. These are the kinds of things that make him feel like he's going mad these days.

Professor Lupin eventually brought out a box which had a Hinkypunk inside for everyone to see. Harry grinned at it and took mental notes of the way it moved, watching as Hermione took notes on her parchment and was scribbling furiously with a look of concentration on her face.

Eventually, when the class was over Harry packed up his things and was about to exit the class when he heard the teacher yell out. "Harry! Can you stay back for a moment?"

He let out a sigh and hung his head tiredly, wanting to just get this over with and then take his leave. Surely whatever this man wanted couldn't be that important anyway, unless he fell asleep in front of him again which would be an amusing sight to see. At least then he could just sneak away. 

He turned around and frowned as he couldn't spot Hermione in the class, not that he cared. But she was just behind him and now she was completely gone, yet again. She probably ran out to get away from him to avoid another argument with him, knowing he'd win. He was just too lost in thought to notice. He's got to pay more attention.

He walked up to the teacher and smiled once everyone was away. "What can I help you with?"

"I just wanted to ask if you were alright," Professor Lupin said with a tinge of concern in his voice. "After what happened at the Quidditch match..."

Harry held up a hand to stop him. "I'm fine, sir. You don't need to worry about me."

"Really?" Professor Lupin raised an eyebrow. "Because you were surrounded by Dementors and it didn't look too pleasant. All the teachers, myself included, had to cast the Patronus Charm to get them away from you before something bad happened. Luckily nothing did."

Harry shrugged. "Exactly. Nothing to worry about," he said casually, trying to brush the whole thing off. He didn't want to talk about the incident as it made him queasy. He'd been doing a pretty good job of ignoring it so far. 

Professor Lupin drummed his fingers on his desk and Harry took notice for the first time that the man had scratches all over his hands and cuts in his palms in the shape of his fingernails, as if he'd been clenching his fists far too tightly and the skin had broke. Something he was all too familiar with. He flexed his fingers with the somewhat 'phantom pains' that struck.

"Do you know what happens if you're attacked by a Dementor?" the teacher asked seriously. "Because there are big repercussions for these kinds of things that have to be taken care of properly."

"Believe me Professor, I know all too well about what a Dementor can do," Harry rolled his eyes. He doubted this kind man knew anything of the sort that he'd read when it came to Death's Book, that was some major dark stuff that could only be found in horrid places, such as Knockturn Alley where he got the book. Professor Lupin probably just knows the basics about the soul sucking Dementor's Kiss, death and depression that comes with it. 

But, he most likely won't know about Death, himself and how Dementors are practically his workers, that they do his bidding and get rid of those who he deems unworthy in this life.

"I imagine you would. Your Boggart was a Dementor, after all," the teacher said knowingly. "Would you like to tell me why that is?"

"That's a little personal," Harry frowned.

Professor Lupin leaned back in his chair and held up his hands innocently. "I apologise. I just want to see if there's anything I can do to help you overcome your fear. You never got a chance last time because it all happened so fast."

"So... you want me to tackle my Boggart again?"

"If you'd like."

Harry pursed his lips in thought. "I suppose it couldn't help to try," he shrugged. The idea of facing yet _another_ Dementor made his blood chill slightly but he had to remind himself that it wasn't real. Although, that plan failed the last time when he was in front of twenty other students and had to have Professor Lupin step in to save him from any more embarrassment and shame. 

"Wonderful! We can schedule a time to practice next term when I get that wardrobe back. It got moved far away in the castle so nobody could stumble across it and have the fright of their lives," he smiled. Harry nodded. "I'm also feeling a little sick so I wouldn't be able to help you too much right now, even if I had it."

"What's wrong? Should I get a teacher?" Harry asked.

"I am one," Professor Lupin grinned. "Just feeling a little under the weather."

"Oh. I get that," Harry said grimly and refused to meet his eyes. He could feel Professor Lupin's eyes on him, as if he were examining him and slowly turned to look. "What?" he asked quietly.

"Are _you_ okay?" he asked worriedly.

Harry nodded. "I'm fine."

They were silent for a moment and Harry momentarily felt as if there wasn't enough air in the room. He gulped and held in his screams that he just wanted to let out, the ones that consisted of 'why are you staring at me?' and 'why do I feel like I'm missing something?'

Professor Lupin gave a nod and stretched his arms above his head, groaning in slight pain. Harry saw scratch marks on his arms when his sleeves pulled up slightly and held back a wince. What had this man gone through? He then turned his neck and Harry could hear it crack slightly. 

That's when he smelled that familiar scent again, but this time it was so much stronger and so much closer. It was like there was a dog in the room, he could smell the soft fur and wanted to reach out, find it and pet it. Sit with the dog and befriend it, perhaps. He looked around the room but saw no signs of a dog and sighed in disappointment. When he turned back to the teacher, his nose was hit with another whiff and he got the sudden feeling that perhaps the scent was coming from him.

"Sir? Do you own a dog by any chance?" he asked before he could stop himself. He wanted to slap himself across the face. What must his teacher think?

Much to his surprise, he didn't laugh at him or look annoyed, he just raised a curious eyebrow. "No, I don't. Why, do you?" Harry shook his head and frowned. "Well, do you want to own a dog? I thought you had a snake?"

Harry shook his head again. "I don't want to own a dog. It's just..." He held his tongue and refused to say what he wanted to say next. Surely he'd be incredibly offended if he told him he smelled like a dog. "Nevermind. I probably made myself tired, that's all."

He began to walk back to the doorway and ignored Professor Lupin's shouts for him to come back and stay. Everything was going well until he made an embarrassment of himself and he just wants to be alone now. He dreads to think what his teacher's reaction would have been if he told him he actually smelled like an actual dog. Would he have laughed or been offended? 

Harry definetly would have flipped out if it were him, but that's only because he is one.

* * *

It was a couple of weeks before the end of term and the castle had been decorated with Christmas trees, real pixies and all sorts of decorations that were festive in the classrooms and Great Hall. Harry was still miserable that the Dursleys hadn't signed his permission slip to go to Hogsmead, although based on the fact that he killed his aunt Marge, he's not expecting anything from them anytime soon. 

He still doesn't know where he's going to live once the school year is over, considering he can't go back there anymore as they'll never accept him into the household and will most likely rat him out to the police who will find a way to contact the Aurors and then he'll get sent off to Azkaban. Best to just stay away from them now.

Mostly everyone was going home for the holidays and that meant he had the entire Slytherin common room to himself which pleased him greatly. He could let Nessie roam around freely without having her get worried about being stepped out which was often a close call because she blended in so well to the room. Apart from a few random students and the teachers, he noticed that Hermione was also staying in the castle for the holidays as well as the Weasleys.

He didn't ask them, he just overheard them talking one day at dinner when he just so happened to be listening in to their conversation - not spying, just observing from afar. 

They never said why they were staying behind, or maybe they did but he'd missed it because he got pulled into a stupid conversation with Flint and the rest of the Quidditch team about training extra hard to beat the Hufflepuffs when they play next term because they have a really good Seeker, Cedric Diggory. The Gryffindors knew this and Oliver Wood had been pushing his team harder than usual lately too, obviously still mad about losing and not wanting to admit defeat, yet again. Especially if it were to the Hufflepuffs, which would sadly be deemed as an even bigger embarrassment.

He was walking through the hallway and looked to the grounds outside, feeling the cool breeze of winter air blow through his hair and give him minor chills compared to everyone else's shakes and blue lips as they ran for their warm common rooms, bundled up in scarves and gloves. At least he had his own special gloves on which made it seem to anybody else like he wasn't a total weirdo who enjoyed freezing to death.

As he was watching the snow fall onto the grass and coat it in a thick layer of white fluff, a hand reached out and grabbed onto his arm, startling him. 

"Harry," Hermione smiled timidly. "You're just staring off into the distance, are you okay?"

He shoved her hand off roughly and turned to fully face her. "I'm watching the snow, Granger. What do you think I was doing? Having some midlife crisis and debating whether or not I should jump off the Astronomy Tower?" 

"Of course not!" she said in shock. "I'd hate it if that were the case."

"Then don't ask stupid questions!" he spat.

She sighed and played with her fingers nervously. After a moment of silence she spoke up again. "Well, I just wanted to check in with you and make sure you were doing okay. You look much better."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm perfectly alright. Why do you care? Not here to make more assumptions or start fights, are you?"

"No, I promise," she said sincerely. "You still can't go to Hogsmead?"

He laughed bitterly. "Come to rub it in, have you? 'Poor little Harry, his awful muggles won't even sign his permission slip because they don't care about him at all. Now to make him feel even worse, I'm going to laugh in his face about it because I have parents who love me whilst he has none at all! Ha, ha, ha'," he said in a mocking tone.

"Harry, I'd never say anything like that!" she gasped. "And I didn't come here to mock you, I swear. I just wanted to see if perhaps they'd... changed their mind," she said pathetically.

"Well, they haven't."

"I wish there was something I could do," she said miserably.

"There is," Harry said in an upbeat voice.

"What is it? Anything at all," she smiled.

"You can get lost," he said sarcastically and turned away from her yet again, ignoring her hurt look. 

"Okay," she said sadly. "I can bring you back some goodies if you want-"

"I said get lost!" he yelled loudly, causing her to flinch and take a step back. He briefly saw her nod from the corner of his eye and then heard her footsteps quickly walk away, leaving him alone and even more miserable than he was before. "Thanks a lot, Granger..." he muttered to himself.

The sight of the snow no longer looked all that interesting to him and he scoffed, storming off around the corner and slamming hard into a solid figure.

"Watch where you're going!" he snapped at whoever was there, not bothering to even look up at their face as he tried to shove past.

"Is that any way to talk to your favourite set of meddlesome twins, Harrykins?" Fred said as he and George blocked his path.

"Exactly. You're hurting our feelings," George said in fake sadness.

"Look, I'm really not in the mood right now," he said trying to shove past them again but they blocked his path once more.

"Hear that, Freddie? Harrykins said he's not in the mood," George shook his head.

"I heard him too, George. But how do you think he'd feel if we told him we could fix his little problem?" Fred grinned.

Harry frowned at them both.

"What are you two blabbing on about now?"

"We heard that someone-" Fred said.

"-named Harry Potter-" George interrupted innocently.

"-wasn't allowed to go to Hogsmead because his big bad muggles didn't sign his permission slip," Fred continued.

"Where'd you hear that from?" Harry glared. 

"Is it not true?" George raised an eyebrow. Harry just clenched his jaw and looked away, earning a chuckle from the boy. "Just hear us out."

"What would you say if we told you we could get you out the castle and into Hogsmead-" Fred said.

"-where the teachers can't tell you off for sneaking out-" George interrupted again.

"-because they don't know this exit even exists?" Fred finished.

"Are you saying there are secret ways out of the school?" Harry gaped.

"That we are, Harrykins," Fred grinned.

"Tunnels underneath the school grounds that lead you out into places like the Whomping Willow and that'll take you straight to the Shrieking Shack-" George said.

"-and the ones that'll take you right into Honeydukes in Hogsmead," Fred said with a proud smile. "We've been using them for years when we've gotten detentions and couldn't go out. Or so the teachers thought..." he trailed off, smirking.

"Brilliant!" Harry grinned. "Where are they then? Do you want something in return?"

"You Slytherins all think the same," Fred waved a hand nonchalantly. "We don't want anything in return."

"Exactly. We just want you to go have a good time and not let those muggles get you down," George smiled. "Nobody should miss out on Hogsmead. It's a right of passage to go."

Harry nodded. "Alright, thanks."

Fred pulled out a piece of parchment from inside his jacket and held it out to Harry. "Here you go."

"What's this rubbish?" Harry asked confused, staring at the blank piece of parchment.

"'What's this rubbish?' he asks us, Freddie. Can you believe it?" George mocked. 

"I know, George," he sighs. "This holds all the answers you need, Harrykins. Just point your wand to the parchment and say 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good'." Suddenly, words started appearing on the parchment that read, __

_Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs are proud to present_

_**THE MARAUDER'S MAP** _

Harry grinned as he saw the entire layout of the school appear on the parchment, as well as everyone's names next to their footsteps. He took some steps to the right and noticed his footprints were moving inside the map. That's when he quickly realised it tracked everyone inside the castle. This was brilliant spying material.

"Do you use this often?" he asked.

"Not as much as we used to," George said. "We've pretty much memorised it by now and figured we may as well pass it down on to you," he grinned.

"You're letting me have this?"

"Why not?" Fred shrugged. "It's good prank material and you can sneak out any time you want."

Harry smiled gratefully at them and noticed several people's footsteps in the map moving, obviously keeping track of their whereabouts. He didn't particularly care for that right now as their names were unimportant to him but he still got a thrill at the thought of knowing where everyone was at any time he wanted.

He realised the twins were quite naive, however. They have good intentions by giving this to him, obviously still thinking of him as nothing more as some harmless prank worthy Gryffindor like themselves, a true lion at heart like them who would never use something like this for any nefarious purposes, other than to sneak. But that's where they were wrong as this was practically a goldmine - he could get so much information and blackmail material from this if he plays his cards right.

An Invisibility Cloak and a map that lets him know the location of every single person in the entire building? He could get away with anything. It also helps that he has super sensitive hearing due to being a werewolf and has a highly venomous snake.

"Thanks boys, I'll make sure to use this well," he said with a grin.

"Good thing Harrykins!" Fred patted him on the shoulder.

"Just remember. When you're done using it, point your wand to the map and say 'mischief managed'. It clears it so nobody knows where you last were or where you've been," George said.

Harry nodded and committed all of it to memory as he'd definetly be needing it. This could help so much when dealing with the whole Basilisk issue. He might not need to reply on Silas as much as he thought. Sure, his assistance is extremely helpful but if he wants to be independent and try to do things on his own, at least now he'll have a way of getting out the castle without any hassle. It'll be an easier way for Silas to sneak in, too.

He'll also be able to get past those damned Dementors without having to worry about them grabbing him and threatening to send him to Death, their master. He plans on putting that off for as long as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> This took so long because I went back to book 1 and gave all my chapters some names (as you can now tell) and fixed some grammatical errors. I think the wait was worth it :D


	15. Shady Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finding secret tunnels, selling some venom and discovering things about Sirius Black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the first half of this chapter is basically just a whole lot of goblin stuff but I did say not too long ago that they'd be making a comeback and it's an important part to the story as you'll see why!

It was the day of the Hogsmead visit and Harry sat back in the common room waiting for everyone else to leave, looking inconspicuous and casual as he read from a Potions book. 

"Sucks to be you," Millicent Bulstrode laughed at him and he snarled. He hated this ugly girl with a passion. She's make great friends with Dudley, however.

"Shove off. I'm choosing not to go," he snapped.

"Why would you do that?" she challenged as she fixed her scarf. "It's Hogsmead, it's supposed to be fun. Do you just not like fun? Did those filthy muggles like to stomp it out of you?" she said, eyes glinting mischievously as she mocked him.

He clenched his fists. "I'll stomp on you."

Her eyebrows rose. "You'd hit a lady?"

"You're hardly a lady, Bulstrode. More like a pig with hair."

She suddenly whipped out her wand and pointed it at him threateningly. "Don't say things like that to me! Take it back!"

He raised an amused eyebrow. "Or what? You'll screech my ears off until the death?"

She grew red in the face and took a step back, gripping her wand tighter and shifting the positioning of her feet. Harry recognised it as the position of someone ready to duel and immediately went for his wand in his holster, putting up a powerful Shield Charm just as she threw a Stinging Hex at his face. 

He stood up and glared at her, holding his wand confidently. "You don't want to try me, Bulstrode. I'm not afraid to hit a lady with a curse."

"Go on then, do it," she spat. "You don't have the guts."

Harry shrugged and send a small Cutting Curse at her right ankle making her wince and double over to clutch it. "Ow! What the bloody hell, Potter?"

"Can you stand? Does it hurt? Oh dear, maybe you won't be able to go to Hogsmead after all," he mocked her back with a nasty grin that would make Professor Snape proud. She sent him a hateful glare and bit her lip as she limped out of the common room and up the spiral stairs, most likely to find an older student to heal it for her before she'd have to go to the infirmary in humiliation. He feels a tad petty that he didn't slice her open deeper as that would have been hilarious but then remembers that they do have a reputation to maintain so it may not be worth it in the long run.

If the Prefects find out and report back to Professor Snape, he could tell the truth which was that she attacked him first and he just did it in self defence, which would ultimately result in both of them getting into trouble or he could spin it around to make her look like a crazy person, someone who was trying to pick on the lone and innocent Slytherin and when she'd tripped on the stairs and cut her ankle open, she blamed it on him to avoid embarrassment and to get him into trouble. Then it'll backfire in her face and she'll be scrubbing dirty cauldrons for a week in detention.

He'd wait it out and see what happens, going back to reading his book on the couch. Eventually, everyone left the common room excitedly and he smirked at the girl's back as she stormed off healed. 

"Not coming?" Daphne Greengrass asked as she flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder.

"I can't, remember?" he sighed. Recently, she asked him if he was going to Hogsmead and he originally planned on telling her that he'd just not wanted to go at all but his mouth slipped and he blurted out that his muggles didn't sign the slip. He then decided to go with the excuse that they didn't sign it because he told them that muggle signatures weren't as valid as magical ones and he'd rather stay in the castle than go because they're names were on the paper. It was the perfect excuse and she fell for it right away.

She frowned and pursed her lips. "No offence but I'd hate to live with muggles... They don't sound like they do much for you."

"No offence taken. They're horrid people," he scoffed. "Good for nothing."

Her eyes went wide and she stepped closer. "What are you saying? I thought you would love muggles because they're your family."

Harry cringed. "They're not my family, Greengrass. They're filthy people and I don't wish to associate with them. Now, can we please stop talking about this? I'm trying to read."

"Of course," she nodded and went for the door. Once he was finally alone in the common room he let out a sigh of relief. 

**"Nessie, you can come out from hiding now!"** he yelled out to his companion.

**"Finally. It was so boring hiding by that large picture and trying to pretend,"** she said.

**"The best way for you to blend in is to sit near the Salazar painting as I've told you. It has a giant snake on it, nobody will be able to spot the difference."**

**"Because I am a giant snake,"** she said proudly.

**"You're getting there. How big are you now? Six feet?"**

**"The size of your tall human friends. Although I could easily squash them even if they have those stupid pointy sticks,"** she scoffed.

**"Wands, Nessie."**

**"I don't care."**

Harry rolled his eyes. She'd been getting a whole lot sassier and even _rude_ lately which struck him with confusion. But the voice inside his head explained that it was perfectly normal, considering he's a teenage boy and was going through 'changes' himself and with Nessie being his companion, she was simply taking after him. Like a toddler learning from it's mother. 

He realised that's why she had attitude problems and was so sarcastic now, had so many things to say which had him gritting his teeth in frustration and wanting to just walk away. It's exactly how the adults felt around him and his classmates judging by their facial expressions when they were in classes or the halls. The thought was amusing and when he expressed this to Nessie, yet again, she had something cheeky to say which made the whole situation even funnier.

But he wouldn't change her for anything.

**"You were paying attention though, weren't you?"** he asked her.

**"Of course. I'm no fool. I heard the pig girl threaten you and I was going to bite her and choke the life out of her but you held out your own pointy wand and showed her who's boss,"** she said enthusiastically.

He laughed and patted his lap, allowing her to come sit on the couch with him. **"She wouldn't hurt me, Ness. I'd kill her if she tried that."**

**"Good,"** she hissed pleased. **"I overheard the fat boys say that they were going to the sweet shop to buy some beans and the blonde haired boy who you share a den with called them pigs and said they'd go to some joke shop afterwards. The two tall boys also said they were going to get some of those writing sticks and black paint."**

Harry nodded, translating everything she meant to his own words. Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy were going to Honeydukes then Zonko's. Zabini and Nott would be going to Scrivenshaft’s Quill Shop, so that meant he had to keep his Invisibility Cloak with him to avoid getting seen and work around them all, making sure not to end up in the same store as them at the same time. 

He knew he was being a bit paranoid but he didn't want the news that he'd snuck out reaching any of the Slytherin's ears and then they'd report back to Professor Snape on that, too. He didn't know how much he could trust them yet and with the Dementors on the loose around the school, he didn't want to face Snape's wrath if he were to find out. He would surely have no problem with tarnishing his clean record and making him scrub the dungeon walls with Filch for what he's doing as punishment.

He got up and headed for his dorm, grabbing his Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map. He looked inside his bedside drawer and removed the heavy wards, picking up the Basilisk fang he still has on a Preservation Charm which was oozing with venom. He'd recently squeezed it of more venom and had another vial sitting in his drawer. He didn't plan on just keeping it there forever, however. 

With the Basilisk parts being kept in jars down in the Chamber of Secrets due to the help of Silas, they'd continued to discuss the issue of selling the parts on the black market for shady witches, wizards and creatures who would buy them. He thought back to Ragnok and decided to see him again, putting the fang away, pocketing the vial of venom into a bag and swinging it over his shoulder.

**"Nessie, you stay here. It's too cold for you outside, you'll freeze your scales off,"** he told her as he got back to the common room.

**"Are you going on your adventure?"** she asked enthusiastically. 

**"Yes, I suppose you could say that. If everything goes to plan, I could end up super rich,"** he grinned.

**"But you're not poor, are you? Isn't your family famous?"**

**"The Potters do have a wealthy inheritance and it is mine as I'm the heir but I'd like to make my own way. I'm independent,"** he said proudly. 

**"Good for you, youngling. You are a free hatchling and don't need to suckle on it's mother inside her nest,"** she told him in a kind voice.

He frowned and mulled the words over. They were confusing to him but he realised they made complete sense to her as snakes tend to view things differently. Essentially, this was her way of saying he was growing up, despite how creepy it sounded. 

_'If I was to ever become an Animagus, don't let me become a snake. Who knows if I'll instinctively start talking like that,'_ he thinks to himself with a cringe. He knows it's a lost cause though, considering he's already got an animal form and he won't be able to change that.

He smiles at her and conjures a live rat for her to chase around and eat then leaves the common room, unseen underneath the Cloak. He puts a Silencing Charm on his feet and makes sure to pay close attention to the map, checking who was around the corners. So far he only noticed his own feet with his own name moving through the corridors and it made him grin, tempted to start dancing to see it appear. But he had a job to do and couldn't waste any time.

He noticed the Headmaster's name on the map which appeared inside his office. He was pacing back and forth quickly and Harry frowned in confusion, wondering what could have the man worried like this. After all, nobody walks back and forth repeatedly unless they're troubled. He debates for half a second about having Nessie spy on him but decides against it. The man has probably ran out of his lemon drops that Harry is almost _certain_ he drugs with Veritaserum and now he's upset.

He looks back to the corridors on the map and sets towards one of the secret tunnels.

* * *

"Disgusting..." Harry spits as he treks through the dark and dirty tunnel underneath the castle that leads out to Honeydukes. He'd be so sure the twins were lying to him and he wouldn't be afraid to hex them for it but the map proved they were telling the truth as it was giving him clear directions for where to go. It was difficult to see and he had his wand lit with a bright Lumos. He stepped in mud and almost fell flat on his face when his shoe skidded on a slippery patch of ice. "Starting to debate if this was worth it or not," he muttered.

Eventually he began to hear voices from a distance and ran towards them, desperately wanting to get out of there. His nose started to pick up scents of sweets that he recognised and chocolate which had him cringing. There was a long narrow staircase that went up a slope and he let out a growl, frustrated with the walk and wanting to just give up by now. He sucked in a deep breath and began climbing until his head hit a trapdoor, much like ones he's encountered before and gave it a hard shove until it opened wide. 

He was in another dark room which was dusty and filled with boxes. He noticed another staircase and walked up it carefully, pushing open yet another trapdoor and immediately cringing as bright light stung his eyes and made him wince as he climbed out, realising he was in Honeydukes. It was so crowded that nobody even noticed him, much to his relief. He still flung his Cloak over his head however, desperately not wanting to get caught out on what he planned to do. 

He walked out the shop, hand over his nose to stop cringing from the sweet smells and made a quick run for the Three Broomsticks. They had a floo network there that was always accessible and this was the only way he could find his way to Diagon Alley right now. He thought about taking the Knight Bus but he doubts it'd take him away from school during these times. Stan is a nice guy and quite reckless but he probably wouldn't put Harry's life in danger by letting him walk free on the streets.

He makes sure nobody is looking before hopping in the floo and quietly calling out for Diagon Alley. After a few seconds, he finds himself thrown forward from green flames and he's standing in the middle of the Leakey Cauldron. Not many people are around and therefor not many eyes fall onto him so he makes his quick exit for the door. 

A gust of wind hits him and it blows the bottom of the Cloak up. He takes it off and tucks it away inside his bag, pulling his robe hood up to securely hide his face and starts walking confidently into Knockturn Alley. He heads for the small shop where he met up with the small goblin before and looks in the window, spotting him sitting at his desk.

He knocks on the door and after hearing a snarled 'enter', he comes inside and stands in front of him.

"Hello, Mr Ragnok," he greets him.

The goblin smirks at him and clasps his clawed hands. "Mr Potter, you've returned. I hoped you would."

"You thought I wouldn't?" Harry asked and lowered his hood slowly, making sure nobody else was around although he couldn't smell anyone else here which was a good sign.

"I wasn't sure. You did make a very... valuable offer and _I_ couldn't refuse that. But I thought maybe you didn't want to share, after all," Ragnok raised an eyebrow.

Harry shrugged. "I don't have the use for most of it. I'll be keeping some for educational and experimental purposes, _obviously_ , but why hold on to the rest? You said I could earn some decent money," Harry looked at him seriously and the goblin gestured to the chair. 

"And I was being truthful. Take a seat, Mr Potter." Harry sat down and Ragnok looked towards his bag. "Have you brought a sample?"

"A vial of the Basilisk's venom which I extracted from it's fang. It's very potent so don't drink it unless you want to die a slow and painful death," Harry said with a mischievous smile. 

Ragnok's eyes went wide as he took the vial handed to him. "I'll be sure not to." He looked it over, looking satisfied with the contents. "It's so yellow. I don't know what I expected but I certainly didn't expect yellow." 

Harry shrugged. "I assume that because a Basilisk's eyes are bright yellow, it's venom would naturally be the same colour. It seems like the only logical conclusion and it's quite interesting to think about."

"And creepy," Ragnok smirked.

"Very creepy," Harry laughed. "So, what now? Will you keep that or sell it to someone? I don't want anyone finding out they got it from me, if word spreads it'll ruin me," he said seriously. 

"Rest assured, Mr Potter, there is complete confidentiality in these matters. Nobody finds out unless you tell them or have given them reason already to suspect. Otherwise, you're free to walk the streets and nobody will bat an eye," Ragnok said casually. 

"Good..." Harry muttered. "And I don't think I'd like to know who'd purchase it, either. Knowing that would just make me paranoid as to what this person would do with it and I'd want to ask questions, so I'd like to turn a blind eye, myself."

Ragnok nodded. "Understandable. Now, let's get into payment, shall we?" Ragnok said. Harry nodded quickly. "Considering this is a small vial you'd think it wouldn't go for very much if it were anything else." Harry frowned and made to object but Ragnok continued. "But, it is very rare and, as you said, potent so many people would wish to get their hands on this if they could... Hmm."

"Nobody will ever be able to get their hands on a Basilisk's venom!" Harry said in frustration. "I killed it with my bare hands and if they want it they should be _thanking me_. But I'm asking to be anonymous for my own protection. I deserve something. When I could easily just take that vial and walk away with it right now, never giving it over as well as the rest of the parts I have," he said with a glare.

"That is correct," Ragnok agreed. "Do you have them stored in a safe location?"

"I have them stored in the perfect location where only I can enter."

"A ward or secret password?" Ragnok asked. 

Harry grinned down at the table. "Something like that."

"Hmm. Alright then." Ragnok got a thoughtful look on his face and nodded to himself. "There are people that come to me and sell rare snake venom that can be around 10,000 Galleons per half a cup full, or Acromantula venom worth 200,000 Galleons per cup full." Harry's jaw dropped at the sheer price difference, simply because of the difference in measurement and venom from which animal.

"That's absurd!" he gasped.

Ragnok grinned. "That's business. And the more people buy, the more money goes in to their bank. What's absurd about that?" Harry nodded in agreement and let the man calculate his worth. "So, looking at your own vial... I'd say this is valuable at around 600,000 Galleons. Does that sound okay to you?"

Harry gaped, eyes blown wide. "Are you serious? It's worth _that_ much? It's a tiny little vial."

"Yet, it's potential is so much. This could wipe out a person in seconds."

Harry scoffed. "Please. If it's used correctly, it could wipe out a small city." He noticed Ragnok eyeing him with an amused look and he got the message. "Oh!"

The goblin rolled his eyes. "Yes, oh. Shall we sign the forms then?"

"Absolutely. I don't want this going into my regular vault, however. I'm almost one hundred percent sure the Headmaster of my school monitors everything I do and that includes watching over my vault," he grit his teeth. "Do you recommend I make a new one? You worked for Gringotts, after all."

"Yes, I do. Go in there when you leave and tell them you would like to open a new vault because you have a muggle bank account - they'll believe you as you come from a muggle family - and you wish to transfer all your Pounds into Galleons. If they ask why there's so much, tell them it's an inheritance on your mother's side and after she died, family members started to add to it as a bequeathed offering."

Harry stared. "So, put on a sob story."

"Exactly!" Ragnok said with an overly enthusiastic grin.

Harry sighed. He wasn't exactly happy about using his dead mother in a fabricated emotional story to win over some goblins to avoid suspicion on himself and as some scapegoat for his illegal wrongdoings, but it was desperate times and it called for desperate measures. He just hopes she'd forgive him if she were watching this from beyond the grave.

_'If you are watching over me Mother, I am terribly sorry. Forgive me, please,'_ he begs her silently knowing he doesn't deserve it.

When Ragnok handed him the forms to sign he bit his lip in trepidation, wondering what the bad outcomes of this could be, but the goblin assured him that their plan would work and he sounded so sure considering he'd been doing this for a while, so Harry shook away any negativity he had and scribbled his name onto a long piece of parchment.

He watched as his name glowed bright gold for a moment before going back to ink. "Is that the agreement binding?"

Ragnok nodded. "Yes. Watch." He signed his own name and it glowed the same way before turning back to normal. He then rolled the parchment up before locking it back inside a box along with the vial of venom and walked through a curtain which obscured the doorway behind the goblin. He came back a few moments later and grinned. "All done. Tucked away, safe and sound."

"Alright then," Harry nodded. "Where will the money be transferred?"

"Here." Ragnok handed him a small pouch which was bigger on the inside and it was filled with a mountain full of gold coins, although not Galleons. It was thousands of Pounds. "I collected the money for you in my chambers and had it put into a design of muggle Pounds."

"You can change the style of money?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"Something like that. If you desire for magical money and work for the... business I do," he spoke carefully as to not give anything away, "you can disguise your Galleons temporarily as another currency until it wears off. Which is why it's best to get it into a bank as soon as possible."

Harry wasn't going to ask any questions on who he worked for doing this questionable business considering he knew it was illegal and frowned upon and Ragnok would go to jail and he'd get dragged along with him if anyone found out he was associating with him so he just focused on their own business side of it. "Can I change currency any time I want?"

Ragnok shook his head. "Sorry, little wizard. This is goblin magic. After all, we created the money in this world so we know what to do with it. One of the very things wizards and witches are jealous of as we have the upper hand," he smirked with his sharp teeth on display. 

Harry just scoffed. "Whatever. I'll stick to the plan."

"Good choice."

"The goblins won't be able to tell they're fake Pounds, will they?" Harry asked nervously.

Ragnok rolled his eyes. "Of course not. Why would I send you there if they could?"

"Alright..."

"Now, if you have anything else to offer me, don't be afraid to come back," Ragnok said.

"I won't."

Harry pulled his hood back over his head securely before walking back out the door, hurriedly heading for the bank as quickly as possible. He knew he had to be back at school soon and he didn't want to raise any alarm if people were looking for him and he wasn't there. 

When he entered Gringotts, he walked up to the goblin at the front desk and coughed to get his attention.

"Yes?" he snarled.

"I'd like to open up a new vault."

"Name?"

"Harry Potter," he said quietly.

The goblin looked him up and down before narrowing his eyes. "Shouldn't you be in school, Mr Potter?"

"It's Christmas break, I'm allowed to leave the premises." It was technically a small bluff but he didn't need to know that.

The goblin hummed asked for his key which he provided straight away. When he looked satisfied, he instructed him to follow, leading him to a room through the back. 

He could feel the eyes of the other goblins watching him and held back his own sneer. He detested being watched and his inner animalistic being was screaming at him to fight them and show them who was the more dominant creature in the room. It seemed as if they felt the same way and it was an awful experience to be in. He hated Gringotts. But he loved money so it was worth the pain.

When he and the small goblin reached a room, they sat down and Harry took out his small pouch, setting it on the table. He told the goblin the story he and Ragnok came up with about his mother and his muggle inheritance, the small goblin across from him listening intently and nodding along.

"So, will you open a new vault for me? I'd like to keep the money separate from the Potter inheritance vault as that goes back generations and I don't want to touch that at all, and I'd like to keep it separate from my personal vault considering I do think Albus Dumbledore is monitoring it and he'd surely be shocked if thousands of Galleons suddenly appeared," he said seriously.

The goblin clasped his hands. "That can be arranged. Albus Dumbledore is a powerful wizard with lots of influence and you certainly have made a name for yourself. It wouldn't surprise me if he found a way to keep an eye on what you got up to."

Harry took in a deep breath. "He has no right. I'd like to have some level of privacy."

"And so you shall," the goblin smirked. "Just sign here." He handed him a piece of parchment and he signed, his name glowing bright like before and the goblin handed him a large key. "This will be the key to your new vault. I shall take you there and we shall exchange your Pounds to Galleons."

"Brilliant," Harry grinned.

They got inside the unstable looking cart and Harry cringed, knowing what part was next. He was suddenly so glad he didn't bring Nessie as she would be screaming with joy at the ride, begging for him to come back again for another go. At least that's what he assumed, considering the way she enjoyed the Knight Bus.

After a five minute ride and some serious dry heaving, they reached a large vault that was a lot further down from Harry's own, much to his surprise and slight relief and the goblin took Harry's key to open the vault. It was empty inside but when he took Harry's money pouch filled with the muggle money, the bag glowed a stunning bright gold colour and began to rattle slightly. 

The goblin told him to stand back then tipped the pouch upside down, letting all the money fall out onto the ground. He expected it to be the muggle money but it must have transfigured inside the bag because thousands of Galleons came pouring out and flooding the vault, clattering and clinking, shimmering under the candle light.

He gaped at the massive amount that just wouldn't stop, surprised that the pouch could hold that much, although it was from a goblin so he shouldn't be too surprised. Eventually it stopped and the whole room was filled. The small goblin turned and looked up at him. 

"Is everything to your liking?" he smirked obviously knowing the answer.

"It's amazing," he said genuinely. "I didn't know there'd be this much..."

"People must really like you," the goblin sneered. 

Harry shrugged and gave the mountain full of money one last look over before stepping back out. "That's debatable," he mumbled under his breath.

"Would you like to make a withdrawal?" 

Harry thought for a moment and decided he'd like to do so. The Headmaster wouldn't be able to find out about his new vault as it was confidential under Gringotts rules and he was a master Occlumens so he wouldn't be able to slip into his head with Legilimency if he really was one like he'd been suspecting. He'd never had any proof but the signs were always there: the twinkle in his eye and the focused eye contact. 

It was one of the main reasons he wanted to become one himself as well as protect his own mind.

Harry nodded to the goblin and the small creature went for the money. "How much? You're a school student and I suspect you already have withdrawals made from your personal vault in another pouch?"

"Yes. But that's what I'm sure Dumbledore monitors," Harry sighed. He'd like to be able to have his own money and spend it on whatever he wants, whenever he wants, without Dumbledore keeping tabs on him and worrying about what he's getting up to or if he's going to waste his money for school supplies on other meaningless things. 

The goblin nodded. "I see. Well, for now I would recommend you make a withdrawal of 3,000 Galleons. That'll last you for the next year and you can spend it freely on what you want without running out. If you want to withdraw more however, just come back and see us."

Harry nodded and three thousand Galleons was transferred into his pouch which he immediately tucked away into his bag along with his new key. "Thank you."

The goblin sneered and they headed back to the cart, going on one last ride back to the ground floor and soon parting ways.

Harry felt confident and happy as he left the building, knowing he had a whole lot more opportunities and freedom now. He looked to the sky and noticed the thick heavy clouds above, surely about to snow. He didn't want to get caught in that so he ran quickly back to the Leaky Cauldron underneath his Invisibility Cloak, hopped in the floo when nobody was watching and stumbled out from green flames into the Three Broomsticks. 

It was crowded with people from his school and they didn't pay any attention to the floo as he made his escape for the exit. Just before he reached the door, he overheard familiar voices which belonged to Hagrid, McGonagall and Flitwick. They were sitting together at a table and sounded like they were gossiping over something. He couldn't help but listen in curiously.

"What are we going to do?" McGonagall sighed. "He's out there and who knows what his intentions are."

"We know exactly what his intentions are," Flitwick said with a shudder. "No good can come from that man. He should have stayed locked up where he belongs."

"The Dementors will make sure he can't get onto the school grounds, I'm sure..." McGonagall said anxiously. "They'll be monitoring Hogsmead closely too, so I doubt we've got much to worry about for now."

"Are yeh sure abou' that?" Hagrid asked with a frown.

McGonagall glared. "It's the kindest answer I'm giving."

There was a tense silence until Hagrid cleared his throat. "I jus' can't believe that Sirius Black would be the one to betray the Potters like he did," he sighed. "They were like best friends, as far as I can remember."

McGonagall nodded. "Black and James were like brothers back in their school days, even afterwards. He made Black Harry's godfather! It shocks me to my very core how this happened. Nobody would ever have expected him of all people to give the Potters up to You-Know-Who during the war."

"Yeh never know who yeh can trust, right?" Hagrid grumbled.

Harry was shocked at what he heard. He already knew Sirius Black was a murderer and he knew he was after him for reasons he just couldn't be bothered to figure out, but now knowing this brand new information that he was his father's best friend and had somehow switched sides during the first war with Voldemort, it all had him feeling uneasy. Especially, considering the fact that this man was his godfather. 

His own godfather was trying to kill him. The thought made him both angry and sad at the same time. 

He took in a deep breath to compose himself and ran quickly towards the door, leaving quietly.

When he was outside he was disappointed to see that it was already beginning to snow but he should have expected that from Scottish weather. This would just make the walk back to the castle so much more difficult. He's thankful he doesn't get cold too easily otherwise he would have frozen to death down there. 

_'Maybe Sirius Black could sneak into one of the secret tunnels and kill me. Nobody would ever find my body,'_ he thinks bitterly.

_'What if he can?'_ the voice taunts. _'The Weasleys figured it out. Who's to say Black won't?'_

_'Shut up. The Weasleys found out because they had the map which is now mine. Nobody else will know because I won't be telling. Black is insane, he'll try and get through the front doors of the school and get his soul sucked out by the Dementors before he goes looking for secret passages,'_ Harry rolled his eyes.

_'You underestimate people. It's going to be your downfall.'_

"Excuse me?!" he yelled out in anger, thankful that nobody else was around to hear him and glad he was still invisible.

_'It's true. I know you don't have the biggest ego, there are people who have worse. But you do have a big one and you need to realise that there are dangerous people out there that can truly hurt you if you don't watch your back,'_ the voice warned him.

_'I know that... I'm not stupid,'_ he thought irritably whilst clenching his fists. 

_'Although, the same could be said for you. People underestimate you and that will be_ their _downfall. You're capable of so much, remember that. You just need to train yourself a bit more, you know this.'_

_'I have someone.'_

_'He's the perfect option for you.'_

The voice said no more and Harry frowned, shaking it all off once again. He was getting used to the voice speaking up when he wanted and didn't want it to. It was a tad concerning and he was still certain that he was going insane and was adamant on blaming the Dursleys for their mistreatment but something else always nagged at him, telling him in the back of his mind that it was something more. He always chose to ignore it, scared of what the answer could be. 

As Harry got back to Honeydukes in Hogsmead, he debated about going on a little shop but didn't know how he'd pull it off as he really didn't want to be seen. He decided it wouldn't be worth it and he'd just head back to the castle, he'd already had an interesting day of his own anyway. Just as he was passing through the shop, he noticed a notice board on the wall.

**__** __

> _**BY ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC** _
> 
> _Customers are reminded that until further notice, Dementors will be patrolling the streets of Hogsmeade every night after sundown. This measure has been put in place for the safety of Hogsmeade residents and will be lifted upon the recapture of Sirius Black. It is therefore advisable that you complete your shopping well before nightfall._
> 
> _Merry Christmas!_

He scoffed and snuck to the back of the shop where he'd come from before, jumping down into the cellar and through trapdoors, climbing down creaky staircases and glaring at the map he held in front of him as it gave him directions on how to get back to the castle. It was a lot colder now and some of the ice had frozen over in bigger patches in the tunnel which caused him to twist and slip continuously.

After a long trek he finally managed to find his way back to the castle and kept his Cloak over his head as he ran quickly for the dungeons, whispering the password to the Slytherin common room door and running up to his dorm.

He found Nessie asleep on his bed and was thankful that nobody else was back yet. He made sure to tuck away his Cloak and money in his bedside drawer, putting heavy wards on them to stop people getting in.

**"Youngling, you're back."**

**"Sorry. Did I wake you?"** he asked Nessie as he sat next to her and stroked her head softly. 

She shook her head. **"No, I sensed your presence a while back and I was waiting for you. I'm just glad you're okay,"** she wrapped herself around him comfortingly.

He smiled down at her. **"I'll always be okay. In fact, I found out some pretty intense information today,"** he sighed.

She looked up at him curiously. **"Oh? Do tell me everything."**

Harry knew she wouldn't judge and it's not like she'd go around telling anyone else. He bit his lip and began spilling everything he heard about Sirius Black as well as some angry tears.

He eventually passed out on his bed in a deep and uncomfortable sleep, plagued with disturbing thoughts of violence and anger towards the man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> I'm ashamed of how long this took and I've never had an update be this delayed before. It's been awful but things got in the way in my personal life so I had NO time to write. It's hard to constantly juggle babysitting and taking care of my medical problems and moving houses all at once :( I miss my daily updates so much - this story is where the series kicks off after all hehe...
> 
> This chapter was meant to be posted several times by now when I'd come to finishing it but I never got around to doing that either. Forgive me please? I'm excited for where this is going though, tell me what you think! :D


	16. Successful Brewing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas holidays, Severus being worried and visiting Hagrid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some POV switches in here for you all. A nice change of things :D

It was the start of the Christmas holidays and Harry had the common room to himself again. It seemed as if everyone was in a hurry to go home, no doubt wishing to see their families and get away from the depressing view of the Dementors nearby.

He sulked alone next to the fireplace, throwing some nasty Bertie Botts beans into the fire and watching them sizzle. He was mad that he was the only one who knew of the current information he had right now. Although, if it wasn't for Nessie, he felt like his head would have exploded from the build up of tension he was carrying around with him, by now. 

He needed someone to talk to desperately but didn't know who to go to. He definetly couldn't trust anyone in his dorm as he didn't know them that well yet, plus who knows what connections they may have with Sirius Black and he's not about to open up a whole can of worms and make things uncomfortable. 

He couldn't go to Ron or Hermione as he doubted he could trust them, either. He could trust that they'd believe him but could he trust that they'd want to keep it quiet that he'd snuck out and not rat him out to a teacher and get him into trouble? It's something petty that Ron would do and he's not going to risk it even though he'd do the same. He's also not willing to put up with a scolding from Hermione Granger, herself. She never shuts up when she goes off.

After they came back from Hogsmead, the boys had nicely enough brought him back some snacks from Honeydukes like they'd promised and a couple of the girls had laughed at him as they threw some Love Potions on his lap. He found it all ridiculous and was slightly jealous that he couldn't just go and have fun like everyone else but at least he got some treats.

He finished throwing the last of the beans he received from Zabini into the fire and sighed, looking towards the exit and shrugging. There was nobody else around and he had nothing better to do so he decided to head to his favourite place in the castle: the Potions lab.

He grabbed his Invisibility Cloak and snuck there quietly, making sure nobody else was peeping around corners and going to get a teacher to ruin his plan which would make him miserable.

He unlocked Professor Snape's classroom door and started setting up a cauldron to use, boiling the water quickly on the flame. He then snuck into his personal stores and rummaged around until he found what he was looking for. It was the clippings of Aconite they'd collected in the forest together recently before the heavy snowfall and was stored in small jars.

He took them back to the classroom and began brewing his Wolfsbane Potion with expertise. He'd been around Professor Snape when he'd brew his potion for him plenty of times that he knows how it's done properly by now. He even helps out when he can as he likes the first hand experience, however he's never done it completely alone. Part of him is nervous but another part of him is excited to show off his brewing skills and prove how far he's come.

He knows the potion has to be brewed soon anyway as the full moon is just around the corner and so he's not wasting anything. He knows Professor Snape will be proud of him, he wants to be the best. He brews until the steam that comes out of the cauldron is a deep blue colour and begins to tip the contents into three vials, grinning down at his finished product proudly. 

He slips the vials into his pocket and begins cleaning up quickly, wanting to leave and put away his potion in a safe place before he loses or breaks it. He finally heads back to the common room, running up to his room and locking the Wolfsbane Potion inside his bedside drawer.

**"Did you finish brewing your funky juice?"** Nessie asks from where she was laying comfortably underneath his thick covers.

He smiles at her. **"Every last drop. I think it went well. I'd definetly drink it,"** he said confidently.

She narrowed her eyes at him. **"You better be sure. I don't want to find you foaming at the mouth on the ground. Then who will feed me rats or potatoes?"**

He snorted and rubbed his finger down her back, watching as she writhed happily. **"I'm sure Severus would feed you."**

**"But, he can't talk to snakes, can he?"** she asked.

**"I don't think so. It's just me."**

**"Exactly,** " she said and nudged his fingers affectionately. **"So, be careful."**

**"Yes, your Majesty..."** he said sarcastically.

**"Good to know that you see me as your Queen,"** she spoke sassily and wrapped herself around his shoulders, asking to be picked up. 

He rolled his eyes and cuddled her gently, deciding to head to the Great Hall when he heard his stomach let out a large rumble. He'd already fed Nessie that morning so he didn't feel bad about dragging her along, especially considering she'd just steal his lunch anyway as she has the appetite of a lioness ironically, and would throw a fit if she didn't get some bites. 

He didn't care if anyone else was in the castle and in the hall noticing that he had a large snake on his shoulders. Most people had left the school and it's not like she's always out on the table or floor as she usually just hides underneath his robes or inside his bag, however she's been feeling rather cooped up lately and wants some freedom so he figures the least he could do is let her roam free and just ignore any judgement sent their way.

Who in their right mind would want to mess with someone who had a venomous snake, anyway? Only an idiot.

He makes sure his cloak is still tucked in his hoodie pocket then heads out the common room and towards the hall, chatting with Nessie quietly. He stopped when he entered so nobody would look at him funny as they still didn't know he was a Parselmouth. It was one of his most prized secrets, along with being a werewolf and he didn't plan on letting anyone know. 

So far, the only people that know to his awareness are Professor Snape and Silas, and that's because he trusts them with his secret. He remembers when Ron and Lockhart found out as they had to get access to the Chamber of Secrets but he didn't trust that they'd stay free of questions, suspicion or judgement - especially Lockhart - so he had to take extreme measures to make sure they'd never remember. 

Lockhart inevitably lost his life and Ron lost his ability to remember. It was for the best. He doesn't allow himself to feel bad about it. 

The Bloody Baron also knows his secret but he doesn't have to feel threatened in any way as he tends to protect his students.

He understands that the Headmaster is suspicious of him and wants to figure out if he is one. He was so adamant on comparing him to Riddle that day in his office which shocked him beyond belief, as well as Professor Snape. Sure, there are similarities between them but that doesn't mean they're the same kind of people. Riddle was insane, whereas he's completely in his right frame of mind. He's just glad McGonagall jumped to his defence. 

Although, he wouldn't bring it up with either of them as that would just prove that he'd been spying and then Dumbledore would want to pry and get more answers from him which he wouldn't get. 

Just another reason to be grateful for Occlumency.

He sat down at the Slytherin table, noticing that he was the only one there and felt a tad lonely, until Nessie slid from his shoulders and onto the table. He served himself some sausages and chopped up small chunks for her to eat, too. 

Harry eventually turned around and saw that there were still a few amount of students left, including the Weasleys and Granger. They sat at the Gryffindor table and didn't look his way which suited him just fine. He didn't need their company, he was fine on his own. 

When he looked towards the High Table, he noticed all the teachers still there, however Hagrid looked rather glum as he picked at his food. Harry frowned, wondering what could have gotten the man that never stops smiling looking so sad but didn't particularly want to bother asking him or figuring it out. He still likes Hagrid and cares for his wellbeing but he just doesn't have that bond with him that he seems to always push for.

The one he has with Ron and Hermione. He's too detached from him and for good reasons. The man is a hazard. 

He turns back to the other teachers and notices Professor Lupin eating a ham sandwich quickly and Professor Snape shifting away from him slightly as he sat beside him. He knew the two didn't like each other all that much and wondered what the reasons for that was.

It was something he'd been thinking of asking Professor Snape for some time now but he didn't know if he'd get an honest answer and he was unsure if it was appropriate to ask Professor Lupin as he hardly knew the man at all. 

Harry watched as Professor Snape rolled his eyes at whatever Professor Lupin had said and turned his eyes on him, raising a curious eyebrow when he noticed Nessie on the table. He just shrugged his shoulders casually, offering a small smile and continued picking at his food, ignoring the sceptical look he was getting from Professor Lupin now, too.

Professor Snape went back to his lunch but Harry noticed Lupin still giving them both sneaky glances, as if to figure out why they're talking or what they're talking about. It was just another reason as to why he wanted to figure out what the bad blood between them was, as it seemed as if Lupin didn't want him to converse with Professor Snape at times. 

He'd notice the twitch in his eye whenever they'd nod or smile at each other across the hall during meals and it always took everything he had not to scream at the man, demanding to know what his problem was. He didn't own Harry, he could talk to whoever he wanted and whenever he wanted. 

Sure, the man seemed nice enough but there was something... off about him. He was strange in a way that he didn't know how to grasp. He felt familiar yet foreign at the same time. 

"Maybe I'm just making myself tired," he muttered to himself and let out a big sigh.

Nessie just responded by stealing more food.

* * *

"Harry!"

Harry groaned painfully as his thoughts were assaulted. He was in a calm state whilst brushing up on some Occlumency in the library when suddenly his mental barriers got shattered by that familiar screeching voice. He pulled out of his own head with a hidden wince and glared at the girl.

"What?!" he snapped.

Hermione gulped and straightened her face out. "You disappeared right after lunch."

"And here I am. So, what?" he asked sarcastically. "Come to give me a headache in the one place where there's supposed to be peace? Or do you think because schools out for the holidays, that means you're suddenly above the rules?"

"No! I just wanted to see if you were feeling okay, considering you missed Hogsmead and you're alone in the dorms. But, obviously you are feeling just like your usual self. Moody and rude," she said with a glare.

"Shove off," he spat. "I was fine until you walked in the door. I was in the middle of something."

"Like what?"

"None of your business."

She sighed and threw her hands up. "Fine, don't tell me."

"I wasn't going to," he said stubbornly.

She glared at him again and dropped her expression into one of slight worry. "Harry... there's something wrong with Hagrid. He seems, I'm not sure how to put this. Sad, I think."

"I noticed during lunch," he said slowly, wondering where she was going with this.

"Maybe we should go visit him? It's been ages since we've seen him." Harry stared in horror, shocked that she'd ask him to tag along in another one of her little adventures down to his hut where all hell seems to break loose. "We'll go together with Ron! Like old times," she smiled, not seeming to notice his hesitation. 

"Jeez, Hermione. As _wonderful_ as that idea sounds," he said whilst rolling his eyes, "I'm afraid I have to pass."

She frowned. "Why?"

"I have plans."

"With who?" she crossed her arms.

"My books."

She scoffed. "It's the holidays. You don't need to study."

"It's homework I'm catching up on," he said as he turned his back to her.

"Well, hurry up and finish it then we can go!"

"I can't. It'll take a while. I'm taking _every_ class this year, after all. Remember?" he grinned.

"Well, so am I! Yet, I'm going!"

"So, you'd rather waste time on gallivanting around the castle than focus on your education?" he gasped. "I never would have thought it. Hmm, it appears I'm the one with more brain cells than you," he shrugged. "Not that that's so surprising."

"You can't talk to me like that," she growled.

He glared at her. "It's pretty funny because I think I just did!"

They were silent for a moment before her sniffs came. "Why do you have to be so... mean all the time?" she said whilst wiping her eyes. "What do you get out of this mean streak?"

He just sighed and tapped his fingers on the table lazily. "It's just funny seeing you squirm." 

Her eyes went wide. "What?"

"You can't ever take no for an answer, can you? I said I don't want to go to the oaf's shabby, run-down hut! Yet, you continue to pester me about it thinking it's okay. So, don't get all teary-eyed if I throw things back in your face. I'm just strong enough not to cry like a little wimp," he spat.

She wiped her eyes dry again and nodded shakily. "Fine. Be that way," she said and turned to walk away. She stopped by the door and spoke up one last time. "Maybe you'll come to your senses later."

Harry rolled his eyes at her dramatics as she stormed out the library and turned back to his book, frowning down at the pages as he could no longer concentrate on what he was reading. Damn that girl for always getting into his head.

* * *

Hermione trembled as she she stormed back up to the Gryffindor Tower. She never got along well with Harry all these years and she knew she should be used to his behaviour by now, but that didn't stop the hurt that came whenever he threw nasty words her way.

He had a very sharp tongue for someone of his age, something that she just couldn't comprehend or keep up with. There were times when he was even worse than _Malfoy._

She knew he wasn't the picture perfect Boy Who Lived like everyone expected him to be. He had a much deeper malicious streak, acted very callous and self centred when it suited him and didn't care about the consequences of his actions. It didn't help that he was quite a good liar - perks of being a Slytherin - and managed to talk his way out of trouble from the teachers, all the time.

She just wanted him to go with her down to Hagrid's with Ron, cheer the man up and have some tea. Was that too much to ask? But, he'd much rather stay cooped up indoors reading some Charms book and playing with his snake. 

She sighed dejectedly and laid down on the comfy couch once inside the common room, burying her face in a pillow.

"'Mione? What's wrong?" Ron asked her from where he was sitting in front of the fireplace and playing what looked like a game of chess with Scabbers.

She shrugged lightly. "Nothing," she mumbled into the fabric.

He grinned at her and crawled over to the couch, poking her back and arms. "Come on, don't lie to me. Tell me or I won't stop!"

She smiled softly and batted his hands away, sitting up and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's Harry... We were in the library and I asked him to come join us at Hagrid's and he just-" She cut herself off with a frustrated growl and frowned down at her lap.

"Yes?" Ron asked impatiently.

"He just blew up! He started insulting me, calling me names. He insulted Hagrid and called him an oaf. Then when I tried to stop him, he called me a wimp and made fun of me for getting upset," she said sadly. "I called him out on being mean but he just didn't care."

Ron's face was red and twisted in fury. "He can't do that! Who the bloody hell does he think he is?!" he yelled.

"Evidently, he can..." she trailed off.

"Why? Because he says so?"

She shrugged. "Yes?"

"That's rubbish. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!" Ron stood up to leave but Hermione gasped, jumping up and grabbing his arm tightly.

"Ronald, no! You'll only start a bigger fight. Just leave it, please," she begged.

He gaped. "He can't get away with talking to you like that! He's a slimy git, he'll get what's coming to him!" he growled.

Hermione shifted uneasily. "That's not really fair. You're friends-"

"-when it suits him!" Ron finished. 

"Please, just leave it?" she sighed.

Ron glared before yanking his arm free. "No. He needs to learn he can't just walk all over us. I'll be back soon." 

With those final words, Ron stormed out of the common room and left Hermione standing there in shock.

* * *

Harry was walking through the corridors and back down to the dungeons. He had a major headache from Granger's shrill voice and wanted to take a nap, as well as draw some pretty gory pictures of her in his sketchbook. Sooner or later, he'd be needing a new one as it's starting to really fill up. 

It was filled with his amazing artwork that he would display so proudly on the walls if there wasn't the risk of anyone judging him and wanting to lock him up in St Mungos or Azkaban.

Nessie had fallen asleep peacefully on his shoulder and he smiled down at her, stroking a hand down her back gently. 

As he was minding his own business, he planned on going to visit Professor Snape in his office where he knew he'd be hiding away, either brewing or grading papers. He wanted to let him know about his successful brewing of the Wolfsbane Potion by now. 

However, as he was on his way there, he felt a sharp pain sear right through his shoulder as he was slammed back against the stone wall. A fist was clenched in the front of his shirt and a familiar freckled face was towering over him.

"You!" Ron growled out as he held him pinned in place against the dungeon wall.

Harry grunted, still in slight shock and and pushed him back roughly but Ron just grabbed hold of him again.

"Get off me, Weasley! What's your problem?" he snapped.

"You upset Hermione," Ron growled. 

Harry put on his most innocent face and clutched a hand to his chest. "I did no such thing."

"Don't lie, Potter!" he yelled. "She came back to the common room all sad, because you called her and Hagrid names. All she wanted to do was invite you for tea."

"I'm not a little girl who wants to play Princesses ," Harry laughed. "I don't want to sit around drinking tea with people. I'd much rather stick my head elsewhere, like in my studies. That's what's important," he glared.

Ron scowled and slammed him against the wall again. "Be glad I'm not sticking your head down a toilet!"

"You don't have the guts," Harry snorted.

"Don't I?" Ron said and tried to drag him away, presumably in the direction of a bathroom where he could follow up on his threat, but Harry used his increased strength to keep himself rooted in place against the wall and grinned smugly at Ron's baffled face as he struggled to move him.

It was pretty impressive, considering he was a whole lot smaller than Ron and if he weren't a magical being, he's almost certain the boy could finish off his threat and defeat him. But, Harry has an incredible advantage here and even though he's not going to expose what it is, he's still going to take his chance at showing off some of his skills and evidently humiliating the boy.

Nessie had chosen than moment to wake up, disturbed by the noise and banging. She slithered out from underneath Harry's shirt and glared daggers at Ron, hissing threateningly.

Ron's eyes went wide and he struggled for a minute before sighing and letting him go. His face was bright red, whether in anger or embarrassment, Harry didn't care. "Just go apologise to her."

"Let me delve deep inside my conscious and think about what the right answer to that is." He made a faint humming noise for a moment, getting a look of concentration on his face before clicking his fingers and grinning. "Aha! I'm thinking... no."

Ron blinked and clenched his fists. "You're unbelievable."

Harry shrugged. "Thank you," he smiled sarcastically.

Ron lunged at him again but before he could tackle him to the ground, a loud voice bellowed out in the hallway. 

"Weasley! Not another step!" Professor Snape's cold voice snapped.

Ron turned deathly pale and shakily turned his head to face the teacher. "I- um... It's not what it looks like," he said lamely.

"Oh, really? Because to me, it looked like you were ready to attack Mr Potter who had not yet raised either a fist or wand at you. In fact, he was already pressed pretty tightly up against the wall. So tell me, do you enjoy threatening the lives of other students?" Professor Snape glared.

Ron gaped. "No! Of course I don't! I wasn't _threatening_ his life. That isn't what was happening, tell him Harry."

Harry stared at him for a moment before sighing shakily. "I don't like to lie to teachers, Ronald. It's not nice," he said quietly.

"Then don't!" Ron growled. "Tell the truth!"

Harry saw the uneasiness rolling off Ron and held back a smirk. Ron clearly knew his fate lied in his hands and whatever Harry said could either mean disaster or freedom for his future within the next few minutes. 

But, Harry didn't exactly like getting slammed into walls and accused of things. Therefore, it was easy to make up his mind.

"You threatened to shove my head down a toilet and drown me," he said in a worried voice, trembling slightly. He saw Professor Snape let out an angry breath and Ron turned paler. 

"But, that's-"

"You told me to tell the truth..." he continued with a small grin pulling at the side of his lips for only Ron to see. He knew the boy spotted it and figured out his devious plan to get him into trouble when his mouth dropped open. 

"Mr Weasley, fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor House for your lies and violent behaviour!" Professor Snape scolded him. Ron cowered into himself. "I suggest you learn how to treat your supposed friends better. You clearly don't deserve them."

Harry grinned smugly again when the teacher wasn't glancing his way and Ron began shaking with fury. He looked like he wanted to explode but was holding himself back because of Snape. 

"Yes, sir," Ron gritted out and turned to walk away. Harry watched him leave with amusement, glad he'd won that round.

"With me," Professor Snape said and led him in the direction of his classroom. Harry followed along with no hesitations, listening to Nessie's gentle reassurances that he'd be okay and she would bite Ron if he bothered him again.

Professor Snape was silent until they reached the classroom, where he slammed the door shut behind them and turned on Harry with a fierce look.

"What on Earth was that back there?" he demanded. "I know that wasn't the full extent of the situation and I don't want any lies."

Harry squirmed on the spot momentarily, feeling uncomfortable with the sudden questions. He didn't expect the man to still be on the subject, he thought it'd been dropped by now. However, it was pretty good of him to notice that there was more to it that he'd let on - that just proves he's a good teacher. 

He's just feeling slightly bitter right now as it's him caught in the middle.

"Ron attacked me just as I was walking to your classroom to see you. He's very unstable," Harry crossed his arms.

"And why would he do that?" Professor Snape asked curiously. 

"Isn't it obvious? He's clearly still bitter about his sister dying and always pushes the blame on me! As if I'm supposed to save her, pfft. It's absurd," he rolled his eyes. "It was Ginny's own fault she died. She shouldn't have been meddling with that ghastly book that belonged to Tom Riddle. She got herself killed."

By the time he'd finished, Professor Snape was staring at him with a small mix of anger and fear. He looked frozen to the spot by what he'd said. Harry realised it may have been a little over the top, a little too far, but he hardly cared enough to take it back and what good would it do either one of them, anyway?

He broke the silence after a minute. "What happened to Ginny Weasley was a tragic accident," the man said in a rough voice, as if it pained him to force the words out.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "It was. Riddle killed her because she couldn't stay away."

"You shouldn't speak that way about the dead, Harry. It's not right," Professor Snape told him in a firm voice. "They can't defend themselves."

"Not my fault," Harry glared. "Unlike what some people would like to claim."

Professor Snape rubbed his tired eyes and nodded, deciding to let the conversation go. He must have realised he wasn't going to change his mind on the matter.

"You said you were coming to see me before you got ambushed by Weasley?"

Harry smiled. "Yes, I was. I came in here earlier and successfully brewed a potion all on my own. No help or supervision, at all."

"You did?" the man asked sceptically. 

He nodded. "Yep. I know you didn't exactly say I could be in here alone, but you always let me brew when we're together and I wanted to prove to you how good I've been getting. Plus, I'll be needing it soon, anyways."

Professor Snape looked amused. "Then do tell me what you brewed. I'm anxious to find out."

"I brewed my Wolfsbane Potion," he said proudly. Professor Snape's eyes went wide and he grinned. "It's hidden in my bedside drawer so I won't lose it but it's perfect. I can go get it for you and show you if you'd like?"

"That would be wise. I don't doubt your abilities in Potions at all, you are as unique and ambitious to thrive in the area as I was at your age. But, that doesn't mean I don't still want to check over it," he warned him. "Even the tiniest little error could be the difference between life or death."

"Fair enough," Harry shrugged and headed for the door, going to run quickly back to his dorm and grab the potion. "But, be prepared to eat those words."

He heard Professor Snape snort as he ran out the class and hurried to get his potion.

Severus stood where he was in the classroom, frowning at the boy's retreating figure. He eventually let out a massive sigh when he heard his footsteps disappear down the hall and leaned against a nearby table.

What Harry had said had shocked him beyond words. He knew the boy had attitude problems when it suited him and he was no fool to realise that he was placed in Slytherin House for a very good reason, one such reason being that he is quite charming and manipulative when he wants to be. 

He sees it in the other snakes all the time, he's not that different in terms of behaviour towards teachers and using his cunning skills to get out of trouble. 

He questioned how he was even Lily's son at times.

The fact that the boy could just so casually throw around the information that a girl who was related to his so-called best friend was murdered only a few months ago, without even a tear or a cringe was very concerning. 

He didn't want to bring it up to the Headmaster, though. That would only make things worse. It was best to just keep this hushed up quietly. He could easily take care of the young boy himself, give him advice on how to deal with social protocols like this in the future. 

He knows he's not exactly the most empathetic person around, but he knows how to show some emotion on his face just for appearances sake. It's a Slytherin quality. If the boy doesn't want to get judged by people who will automatically think of him as heartless or uncaring, he'll have to learn to blend in like the rest of the snakes.

He should probably sit down with him and give him a small lecture on it all. Let him know that people's words can hurt, not just his own, and will make nasty assumptions of him if they get the wrong idea. It's best for him to adopt fake emotions rather than show none. It's safer.

He cares for the boy, a lot. He doesn't want anything happening to him. He's under his protection.

Eventually, Harry comes back with the Wolfsbane Potion and a smile on his face, handing it to him. Severus looks at the potion in the vial and holds a light up to it, checking the colour and consistency.

"It's perfect," he says proudly and means it.

Harry claps excitedly and takes it back, putting it safely away in his pocket again. "I guess you don't need to brew it for me, then."

"It would seem so."

"The student has become the master," Harry said cheekily.

Severus rolled his eyes at the muggle reference and grinned slightly. "Nearly so. Gain your Potions Mastery and say that again."

"Whatever," Harry muttered. He chewed on his lip before speaking again. "Sev? What do you know of Sirius Black?"

Severus frowned as he went to his desk, fixing up paperwork. "He's an escaped convict from Azk-"

"No, not the stuff from the papers. Do you know anything... else about him?"

"Like what?" he asked slowly.

Harry shifted from foot to foot. "I dunno. Anything that might pop into your head. Did you go to school together? Were you friends or enemies? In the same House? Tell me." His voice took on a slight pleading tone to it that confused him.

"Harry, what's going on?" he demanded, crossing his arms. "I'm not going to tell you anything unless you confess. I don't want you taking any information I have and plotting Black's murder!" he snapped. He realised what he'd said far too late and felt a sick wave of guilt wash over him. What would make him say something horrid like that? 

Harry didn't look bothered in the slightest, however. He just stood there with a scowl on his face. That was just another reason to concern Severus. 

"I'm not going to do something stupidly reckless, I'm not an invalid! I just want to know because-" He cut himself off and coughed awkwardly, saying no more.

"Because?" Severus pushed.

Harry threw his hands up frustratedly and growled. "I know what he is, okay? Or, who he is!"

Severus blinked. "I don't know what you're talking about," he muttered.

Harry stared at him for a moment before glaring. "You're lying to me. You've never done that before." Severus felt another wave of guilt wash over him and let out a long sigh, nodding tiredly. "So, you are."

"Yes. I'm sorry. I perhaps know what you're talking about," he said regretfully. "It's just best to pretend I don't. For your sake."

"I don't need you protecting me," Harry spat. "I know Black is my godfather and what he did." 

Severus looked away from him, feeling too guilty to make direct eye contact. He felt horrible for betraying his trust like that. He also felt like the boy was analysing everything he was doing and it was slightly unnerving. 

"How could you possibly figure that out, Harry? Who'd you hear it from?" he demanded. 

"I have my ways..."

"You better not be getting up to things you shouldn't!" he scolded him. 

Harry scoffed down at the floor, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter, it's over and done with now."

They were silent for a moment before Severus walked up to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You don't need to worry about Black. He won't harm you. The Dementors are surrounding the school and the Aurors are on the lookout. He'll be caught soon and thrown straight back into Azkaban. I'll be surprised if they don't give him the Dementor's Kiss for this."

Harry held in a shudder at the mention of the Dementor's Kiss. It was still a sore spot for him, considering he still owns Death's Book. He just hoped Professor Lupin helps him tackle his Boggart soon.

"Alright," Harry nodded. "I guess I'll go put my potion away then."

"That's a good idea. You'll need it soon, you know what happens if you don't take it," he warned him.

"I know! Don't remind me," Harry rolled his eyes and walked back towards the door, leaving Severus alone in the class once again.

* * *

After Harry put away his potion, he decided to head back to the library. He liked the smell of the books and since the librarian wasn't around, he was free to sneak off wherever he wanted. That included the Restricted Section. It was always a lot easier considering he had an Invisibility Cloak, too.

_'Thank you, dad,'_ he mentally thanked his father, hoping he could hear him. 

He left Nessie on his bed to sleep and as he was on his way, he stopped in the middle of the hallway as he heard familiar voices.

"-don't know why he has to be so arrogant all the time!" 

"Calm down, Ron. I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation."

"Why do you keep defending him, Hermione? He got me into trouble! And he got points taken off Gryffindor!" Ron's irritated voice yelled out.

"I'm just trying to maintain a neutral ground. Besides, you were the one who attacked him first. Just remember that," she tutted.

"He deserved it," Ron grit out.

"Even so..."

Harry scowled, listening to their voices trail off down the corridor. Those treacherous rats! Saying mean things about him? She's the one who's always looking for a fight, throwing her emotions in the way and getting weepy when things don't go to plan, then complaining about it. 

And he's the passive aggressive one. He's violent and unpredictable, like a rabid dog. They dare judge him? Severus was right, Harry's too good.

He forgets about the library for the time being and reaches inside his pocket, grabbing his Invisibility Cloak and throwing it on top of himself. He grabs his wand and casts a Silencing Charm on his feet as he runs after them, listening in to everything they have to say. It always helps to have dirt on someone to use as blackmail.

"Let's just go to Hagrid's now. Harry won't bother coming," Hermione sighed.

"Fine. But, I'm not eating any rock cakes."

"Nobody's asking you to!"

Harry rolled his eyes and trailed after them, coming along the long trek to Hagrid's shabby hut without them knowing. He'd laugh at them right now if he didn't want to risk giving up his hiding spot.

When they reached the hut, Ron thumped loudly on the door. Hagrid opened it a moment later, rubbing his red and watery eyes. He'd clearly been crying.

"Hagrid, what's wrong?" Hermione asked worried.

The man broke down into tears again and she and Ron pushed him indoors, away from the cold outside. Harry peeked his head in the window, spying on them.

"Read the letter, it explains everythin'," Hagrid said sadly, pointing to a crumpled letter lying on the table.

Hermione picked it up and began reading it.

"Dear Mr Hagrid, further to our inquiry into the attack by a Hippogriff on two students in your class, we have accepted the assurances of Professor Dumbledore that you bear no responsibility for the regrettable incident," she said with a raised eyebrow. "But, that's good! Isn't it?" she asked.

Hagrid shook his head. "Keep readin'," he sighed.

"However, we must register our concern about the Hippogriff in question. We have decided to uphold the official complaint of Mr Lucius Malfoy, and this matter will therefore be taken to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. The hearing will take place on April 20th, and we ask you to present yourself and your Hippogriff at the Committee's Offices in London on that date. In the meantime, the Hippogriff should be kept tethered and isolated," she finished with a frown. 

"This is all Malfoy and Potter's fault!" Ron yelled angrily. "If they didn't call Buckbeak a chicken and laugh at him, he wouldn't have lashed out in self defence. They should be the ones in trouble, not the Hippogriff."

Harry glared from where he was hiding by the window. He nearly died that day and yet Ron shows no sympathy? What a psychopath. He shakes his head in disappointment.

"I appreciate that, Ron, but I dunno what I'm going ter do. Those Ministry Officials don't exactly like magical creatures, they'll put him down no problem," Hagrid sighed. "It's not fair, he's a good Hippogriff."

"It doesn't have to end badly, Hagrid. All you have to do is prove Buckbeak is safe. Keep him out of harms way and on his best behaviour. When you have to present him, make sure he doesn't get into any funny business. Try talking to him. I hear they're pretty smart," Hermione suggested.

"He is a clever one. Aren't ye, Buckbeak?" the man smiled towards the back of his hut where there suddenly came some shuffling noises. Buckbeak poked his head in the room and let out a small squawk, nodding. "See?"

Hermione and Ron smiled awkwardly whilst Harry tried to hold in his laughs as best as possible. A small part of him was hoping Buckbeak would slash his talons into one of them but he knew it was a lost cause. The bird didn't deem them a threat, however if he stepped into the room, he knew all hell would break loose. 

"Why is he in here, Hagrid?" Ron asked.

"I couldn't leave him all alone outside! He deserves ter be with friends. It's Christmas an' it's cold," Hagrid said with a frown.

"We understand," Hermione smiled comfortingly.

Eventually, Harry got bored and decided to leave, glad he hadn't came with them to Hagrid's, after all. 

He walked back to the castle in silence, hidden underneath his cloak and took a right turn indoors, heading towards the library again for some peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> I made this chap especially long to make up for lost time! Hope you enjoy :D


	17. Medicine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas time, taking lots of potions and Trelawney's prediction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This update was quicker than the others recently, yay! And much longer! It would have been posted sooner but I was busy during the weekend. Good news though, I'm trying to get back into my old routine by finding more time to write :)

The next day, Harry was due to start taking his potions. He'd woken up with cramps in his muscles that just got worse as the day went by. He ate his breakfast in the kitchens and groaned at the uncomfortable churning in his stomach.

It's something he should be used to by now, after all these years, but it always hits him like a ton of bricks when the symptoms begin again. He hates it.

Since Silas told him about Fenrir Greyback, he's felt disgusted. He doesn't know how it's possible for a person to take pride in being a werewolf. How could they actually enjoy the transformations? What do they gain out of it? It's painful and ugly. If he ever meets this Greyback, he's going to give him a piece of his mind.

He's currently practising his duelling in the Chamber and catching his breath as he leans against a stone pillar. 

"Keep up, Harrison. You're too slow on your feet," Silas lightly scolded him.

Harry growled. "I'm tired. I don't have as much energy as I usually do right now," he sighed.

"Nonsense. Such a terrible excuse. You can do anything you put your mind to, now focus!" the vampire yelled. Harry shook his head and stood up straight, tightening his grip on his wand again and firing a curse at the man quickly.

Silas jumped out the way as the blue jet of light shot right at him and smashed into the wall, blowing it up. 

"What'd you move for?" Harry yelled.

"I'm not going to make it easy for you," Silas rolled his dark eyes.

"Pfft, whatever," Harry grumbled and flicked his wand in the direction of the wall, repairing the damage. 

"You're getting stronger, though. That's a good thing," Silas encouraged him. "You're going to go on to become a very skilled wizard if you keep up the hard work."

"How skilled?" Harry questioned sceptically.

"However skilled you think you can make yourself."

"I want to be the best wizard there is," Harry said firmly. 

Silas grinned, showing off some sharp fangs. "That's quite a large ambition you've got there, child."

"Can it happen?"

"It's a possibility..." Silas trailed off. Harry grinned wide but Silas held up a pale hand. "But, in order to become the best, you can't keep making up excuses, like how you feel sick or how you're feeling under the weather. You push past that and keep going. Understand?"

Harry licked his lips and nodded quickly. "Yeah. I get it."

"Good," Silas smiled. "Now, with that in mind, clear your head once and for all and duel me again. _Properly_."

Harry agreed and narrowed his eyes at the vampire as he began zooming around the room quickly, ducking out the way of curses flying his way with impressive speed. Harry pushed past the tiredness and focused on the fight, on the need to win, the need to prove himself, to take him down, and shot spell after spell out of his wand for ten minutes straight.

He had sweat running down his back and forehead, dripping into his eyes and momentarily blinding him until he wiped it away. He began to run around the Chamber, chasing after Silas and casting some Tripping Jinxes on his legs which made him stumble, before he got back up again.

He blew up another pillar next to his head and it had Silas getting thrown across the room and scattered on the floor. He was still for a moment before stirring, picking up a sharp chunk of rock from the ground and suddenly hurling it at Harry's head. With quick reflexes, he froze the rock in place and directed it back towards the vampire, aiming for his head.

He ducked out the way and picked up more shards, throwing them his way. Each time, Harry blew up the chunks of rock and turned them into sand. 

"Bombarda!" he shouted as he aimed his wand at Silas' hand where he picked up another rock. It exploded in his face and bits of debris got in his eyes, making him groan and clutch at them. Harry laughed at his misery and grinned smugly. "I guess I win that round."

"Not bad," Silas said as he wiped his eyes clean. "But, I'm afraid it's not good enough." He suddenly went over to one of the remaining pillars and, with his increased strength, grabbed hold of it and broke it in half. He held it in his hands casually like a baseball bat and grinned at him, walking closer and pulling the large stone pole behind his back. "This will hurt."

Harry laughed anxiously as he backed up a few steps. He was nearly trapped into a far corner, now. "Hold on, calm down. You better not hit me with that-"

He was suddenly cut off as Silas brought the pillar swinging across the room quickly and slammed it into his side, throwing him far across the Chamber. He went flying until he hit the wall on the other side and landed on the ground with a crash and groan. When he finally managed to stand back up, Silas was standing ahead of him and looking amused.

"I think I won that round," he said proudly.

Harry scoffed and wiped all the dust off his jumper. "You tried to kill me! I'm not a baseball!"

"Child, if I wanted to kill you, you would be dead. Believe me," he said seriously.

Harry shifted uncomfortably and continued cleaning himself up. Eventually, they decided to fix the place back up so it was tidy again and leave, promising to come back again when Harry had more energy.

* * *

At dinner, Harry's stomach was hurting a lot more and it brought his mood down. He viciously stabbed at his chicken dinner on his plate and ate quickly so he could get back to his room and lie down on his bed.

He noticed the worried looks Severus was giving him out the corner of his eye but refused to turn his way. He didn't want to appear weak and vulnerable, so he just sat up as straight as he could and breathed through the minuscule waves of pain.

It was snowing lightly outside but the moonlight was beginning to shine through the clouds. It was a good thing Harry didn't still live in the tower, as he'd have to walk all the way through the hallways and up the staircases, getting caught in the light and having his skin burn.

He saw Ron and Hermione chat quietly with Hagrid as the man left the Great Hall, still looking rather glum. They both trailed after him, abandoning their nearly empty plates of food and walking with the large man through the halls, presumably in the direction of his house. 

He didn't care if he was still upset about his stupid bird. It was dangerous and if the Ministry decided to execute it, so be it. Harry's not going to jump to it's defence. It tried to kill him in the middle of class! Hagrid can go cry all he wants.

He finished off his food finally and hurriedly walked back down in the direction of the dungeons. He stayed clear of the windows above, where the moonlight was shining through brightly. It always felt like third degree burns from scalding water when the light touched his skin.

He ran up the spiral staircase in the common room and got back into his bed quickly, pulling the curtains closed, letting Nessie cuddle up into his side and grabbed his sketchbook, flipping it open to a blank page. 

He drew a sketch of the Hippogriff, which was standing next to a grinning Harry. The Harry in the picture was holding a massive hatchet above his head and it was swinging in the direction of Buckbeak's head, ready to decapitate him. Buckbeak's eyes were wide and his wings were flapping, ready to fly away. He snorted at the morbid picture he drew, prepared to get coloured ink to draw red on the weapon.

**"What is that, youngling?"** Nessie asked him, looking at the pages.

**"Just my own way of being a tad creative,"** Harry shrugged casually.

Nessie eyed him. **"It looks like a doodle of that stupid over sized chicken who bumped your head."**

**"That's because it is,"** he rolled his eyes and sighed. **"Don't think just because I'm a magical creature too, that means I should automatically jump to it's rescue."**

**"I wasn't suggesting that, at all,"** she insisted.

**"Hmm."**

He continued his drawing in silence, adding more details to the Hippogriff until it began to looked gnarly and ruined. He cast a spell to change some of the ink red and chuckled at the fake blood stains.

**"Disgusting..."** Nessie said, shaking her head.

Harry just sat the book to the side safely. **"I know,"** he said pleased. His muscles began to hurt again and he reached into his bedside drawer to pull out a vial of the Wolfsbane Potion, chugging it back in two gulps with a cringe. He coughed into his fist and held down the puke that wanted to come up with it. It tasted disgusting every time.

Soon, Severus came into his dorm to visit him, much to his surprise. He stood at the doorway, asking permission to enter, which Harry allowed. He then sat down quietly on the end of his bed and looked him up and down.

"I just wanted to see if you've taken your potion. You're due to start tonight."

Harry nodded. "Yes, I took it not too long ago," he said with a cringe. "I still wish I could add something to it. Even when I brew it, it tastes disgusting."

Severus offered a sympathetic smile. "It's just three days of the month. I'm sure you can manage."

"Yes, for the rest of my life!" he snapped. "I'm sick of this. I feel ill, I hate it," he mumbled.

"I know. I wish I could take it all away," Severus said regretfully. "But, just know that you're not the only one going through it. There are others who deal with it just the same and have done so for even longer. So far, you've managed it brilliantly. I'm very proud," he said.

Harry grinned, feeling his stomach flutter at the words. He hardly ever received genuine praise, it felt nice to hear it, especially from someone he knows cares for him.

"Thank you, Sev," he said quietly. Severus nodded and patted him gently on the shoulder. Harry got a thoughtful look on his face. "You said 'others'. What others?"

Severus looked at the far wall, not saying anything. "Just... other werewolves out there."

Harry felt like he was keeping something from him and narrowed his eyes. He thought perhaps he was talking about Fenrir Greyback and wanted to ask him about the man, but he didn't know how he'd react if that was the case. Would he start asking him how he knew of his name? What would he say? He couldn't say he heard it from a five hundred year old vampire.

The second he let slip of his allegiance with Silas, he'd be in deep trouble, as would he. He'd think they were up to some no good scheming. That Silas was a dark creature and was taking advantage of vulnerable, little Harry. Plotting his murder.

It wasn't true, of course. But, he knew Severus liked to worry. And, if he told Dumbledore who would then tell the Ministry - who were very prejudice against magical beings - both their lives could be over. Harry, due to being exposed as a werewolf and Silas due to being hunted down and executed.

Best to just stay quiet.

Harry sighed and nodded, remaining silent. His stomach growling loudly was what broke the silence and he groaned in pain, clutching it hard and doubling over. "Ow," he whimpered.

Severus' eyes went wide and he rubbed his back soothingly. "Did you eat enough dinner?"

"I was feeling nauseous," Harry said grimly. "Too tired to eat. I only ate some pieces of chicken."

"Idiot child! You feel nauseous because you have an empty stomach. Surely you should know that by now," he snapped.

Harry turned red in embarrassment. He _did_ know that, he was just too preoccupied with dealing with the upcoming pain and ignoring an emotional Hagrid who was being followed around by two idiots who were hellbent on blaming him for the actions of a stupid animal.

"I know."

"I'll Summon a House Elf for you and get you something that you require," Severus sighed. "Just rest for tonight."

Harry nodded and got himself tucked into his bed, letting Nessie wrap herself around him comfortingly. Severus left and five minutes later, one of the school's elves popped into the room and offered him a bloodied steak which he gratefully accepted and immediately scoffed down.

His stomach pains began to settle and he sighed in relief, relaxing back against his pillows and letting his companion's soothing words lull him to sleep.

* * *

He was woken up in the morning to something poking at his cheek. He buried his face in his pillow and tried batting whatever it was away roughly with his hand but it was insistent on poking him. He groaned in irritation but jumped awake fully when Nessie let out a loud hiss.

He heard a crash and when he sat up, he saw a trembling little House Elf in his dorm cowering away in the corner, clutching a tray with raw meat on it for him.

He smiled at the thing and gestured it back over, calming Nessie down. It seemed to trust him and came over, handing him the tray quickly and disappearing with a loud snap of it's fingers.

He hurriedly ate the food, feeling the beginning signs of stomach cramps slowly settle for the time being. He groaned as he climbed out of bed, heading for the bathroom and cringed as he saw his reflection. His scars stood out bright red and they stung. He ran his face under cold water, hoping to soothe them but to no avail. 

He'd just sneak his way to the infirmary and hope Madam Pomfrey had a Pain Relieving Potion for him. He pulled his hair over his face and hoped it'd stay in place, hiding the scars. 

He doesn't plan on leaving the common room for much of anything today anyway, apart from going to the infirmary, so it's not like he has anyone to impress. But, it would still make him feel a whole lot better about himself when he goes into the bathroom and doesn't have to see a horrific sight in the mirror. 

He gets himself cleaned up, dressing in his fancy black robes and finishing it off with a personalised serpent clasp to hold it together. Courtesy of Marcus Flint, by next year, he'll be sure to make the Quidditch Captain position on the Slytherin team and he'll have his very own official badge that he can wear on his school robes at all times. 

He used to make fun of Percy Weasley for bragging about having a Prefects badge but now, with the upcoming wait of his own school badge, he now knows the appeal of it. He knows for sure that he'll be boasting in everyone's faces and he couldn't care less.

Harry conjures a squeaky mouse for Nessie to chase around in the common room for five minutes, snorting as she finally catches up to it and sinks her venomous fangs into it's body and kills it, mumbling about how delicious it is.

Normally, other people would think it was gross but considering his own style of appetite, he's in no position to judge. 

Once it's devoured, she coils herself around his shoulders and hides underneath his robes, tucked away safely where she feels most content. He leaves the common room and heads to the infirmary, scowling at the extremely thick blanket of snow outside and the dark clouds above. 

It wasn't unusual for it to snow during this time of year, especially considering it was the Highlands of Scotland, but it had practically blizzard over the coarse of the night. He thinks it would be difficult for even Hagrid to walk through.

However, if he focuses hard enough, he can see black shadows floating around in the distance and knows those are the Dementors surrounding the castle. It clicks in his mind that they are the reason for the extremely chilled weather, considering Dementors feed off happy emotions and drain it, therefore turning everything around them gloomy and cold. He feels himself shiver slightly but doubts that's from the frost.

He walks into the hospital wing and sees Madam Pomfrey there, putting some potions away in cabinets. 

"Mr Potter, what are you doing out of bed?" she asks him quickly.

He looks around to make sure nobody else is here and sighs in relief when he knows they're alone. "I have stomach cramps and I know they're going to get worse. Especially my body," he says grumpily.

She gives him a knowing look. "Of course, how could I forget? Your body will naturally feel the pains of the transformation without actually going through it, due to your Wolfsbane Potion stopping it. Here, take this." She hands him a couple vials of liquid, pocketing them in his robe and making him drink one of them right away. "To help with the pain. Take the rest in a few hours, you shall be fine," she smiled.

"Thank you," he says sincerely and heads back out. 

He walks back towards the dungeons in silence when suddenly someone yells out for him. "Harry! Wait a second!"

He stops in his tracks and clenches his fists, letting out an annoyed breath. He turns around slowly and is faced with an out of breath Hermione running his way.

"What now?" he asks her rudely.

"I have to talk to you, it's important. I was going to talk to you about it this morning in the Great Hall but you weren't at breakfast," she raised an eyebrow.

He shrugged. "I wasn't hungry."

"Then what were you doing in the middle of the hallway all alone?"

"I was getting some fresh air, Granger. It's what people do, rather than be cooped up all the time," he gritted out. "Now, what is it you want?"

"I was going to head to Hagrid's but it's far too snowy outside. I think he's the only one who could walk through it," she sighed. "But, you've got to help him."

"Excuse me?" he asked baffled.

"Ronald and me are doing the best we can. We've already began looking into things but we need the extra help. Hagrid's pet Hippogriff Buckbeak is going to get into trouble with the Ministry because of what happened during his class," she said worriedly.

"When he went batty and tried to kill Malfoy and me?"

She glared at him. "You were the ones calling him names! It's not his fault he got defensive and lashed out, you know he's prideful. If you'd have been paying attention-"

"Or if Hagrid hadn't brought an unstable animal to class, he wouldn't be in this predicament and have to rely on school children to defend him!" Harry snapped. "Whatever you want me to do, count me out. I'm not going to jump to the bloody chicken's rescue and try to save it. I don't have some hero complex like the rest of you," he rolled his eyes. 

"But, Harry! Buckbeak doesn't deserve this! He'll get put down!" she cried out.

"Not my problem," he crossed his arms stubbornly. "If you want to save it, go ahead. I couldn't give a damn."

She stared at him hard for a moment before tearing up. "How can you say something like that?" she sniffed. "What's wrong with you?"

"Me? What's wrong with you? You're the one crying like a little baby."

She scoffed. "You're cruel. It was a mistake to come to you! You might not care and that's _fine_ , but Ronald and I won't stop trying to help Hagrid and Buckbeak. We'll do whatever it takes to make sure Buckbeak gets away safely and lives," she said fiercely. 

Harry just grinned at her. "Aw, dammit. And here I was hoping he could be served as Christmas turkey."

She gaped in disgust and stormed off, leaving him standing there with a smug look on his face, glad he'd won the argument. 

**"She is so irritating. Why don't you just let me bite her, youngling? I'll shut her up for good. You know my venom kills,"** Nessie hissed from underneath his robes. 

**"I wouldn't want you to get into trouble,"** he whispered back. 

**"I wouldn't care,"** she said defiantly, making him smile.

**"I know,"** he chuckled. **"But, maybe one day..."**

* * *

Harry's senses were going into overload. For the next couple of days, he was overwhelmed with a familiar scent that seemed to reek through the halls whenever he'd sneak out the common room to head to the infirmary again to get more potions from Madam Pomfrey. It always came from the same direction, too. 

It was the distinct smell of _dog_ leading the way from the hospital wing to the kitchens. It made him frown in confusion. He knew he smelled it somewhere before but it was so hard to remember. It was on the tip of his tongue. Why did he want to figure out so badly? And why did nobody else seem to pick up on it? He didn't see any stray dogs running around the castle, they weren't exactly on the list of required pets. 

He thought about talking to Severus and asking if someone had a dog on the grounds - perhaps Hagrid - but if the man said no, he'd drive himself mad with paranoia.

It was Christmas Eve and he had just finished eating his raw steak in the privacy of his dorm room when Severus came knocking.

"Harry, can I come in?"

"Sure," he nodded. "What's up?"

"I was perhaps wondering if you felt comfortable enough to come to the hall and have dinner. You've already eaten your... required meal, haven't you?" he asked cautiously. 

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes, Sev. I've just finished. Let me take a painkiller and then I'll come," he smiled. "I think I can manage."

"Good. It would be good for you to get out of the dorm for just a little bit. Surely you can't feel comfortable kept alone in here all the time," he said curiously.

Harry shrugged. "It gets a bit lonely but I have Nessie. It comes in useful being able to talk to snakes," he grinned.

Severus nodded. "I suppose so. A skill you should still keep a secret, however," he advised.

"I know!" Harry sighed. He chugged back a Pain Reliever Potion and a vial of his Wolfsbane with a nasty cringe, throwing the glass away harshly. "Gross."

"Lets get some food into your stomach, that'll make you feel better," Severus smiled and led him out the room. "Is your snake coming?"

Nessie chose that moment to come slithering out from underneath the bed and followed behind them. **"I finished eating my hamster. It was fang watering,"** she hissed happily.

Harry nodded and turned to Severus. "She was eating a hamster, she's trying bigger meals these days. It was quite impressive to see her digest it," he said amused.

Severus looked a bit repulsed. "I'd rather not see that." Harry chuckled at him. "Why is she eating bigger meals? Is her appetite changing?"

"I think because we're bonded and she takes after me, as I grow she tends to grow. My appetite changes and gets larger so hers does, too. She's essentially the snake version of me. I mean, look at her. She's black with green eyes. A perfectly good replica."

Severus examined her properly and hummed thoughtfully. He'd never truly noticed the similarities between them before. He usually just saw her as a long, dark snake. He never thought to put the colours of her scales and eyes to match the colours of Harry's hair and eyes before. She really was quite a good match for a snake familiar bond for him. 

"I think you're right," he agreed. They headed to the Great Hall and the teachers and few remaining students were already there, tucking in to their food. Severus told Harry to go talk to some people and sit with them but glared when he snapped and refused. "Why not? There's several people for you to talk to."

"I'd rather sit alone. I don't want to talk to any of them," Harry scowled. 

"What about Mr Weasley or Miss Granger?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't want to talk to them, they annoy me." Severus let out a loud sigh. "Don't start with that! You don't understand it, at all. Ron is always up my butt about being a traitor to his friendship, family and House. He calls me names and is immature. And Hermione thinks I'm scum of the Earth, at times. Just because I don't like to go along with her silly plans that involve getting detention or killed, that makes me the bad guy! She's been like that since our first year!"

"I'm aware of the issues you face with those two and I'm not trying to defend them-"

"Then don't," Harry snapped.

"-but, if you sit alone you're going to be miserable," he finished off with a glare for being interrupted.

"No, I'll be miserable if I sit with them. I'm fine by myself. I'm independent."

Severus rubbed his eyes and nodded. "Fine."

They both stopped hanging around the doorway and entered, Harry taking a seat at the empty Slytherin table and Severus going to sit at the High Table with the rest of the teachers. Nessie settled by Harry's feet and offered words of comfort as he picked at his food.

When he was eating however, he was hit with that familiar scent again. It was drifting through the room and he lifted his head to sniff curiously, wondering where it was coming from. He looked around in search of a dog but found none, growling grumpily. His attention was diverted to the teacher's table and he narrowed his eyes slightly as he felt himself being pulled that way by something.

He didn't know what it was. Was it a Compulsion Charm? An obsession with something or someone that he hadn't figured out yet? Was he trying to remember something? He clenched his fists and stared hard down at his plate, intent on trying to ignore the feeling.

He felt eyes burning into him and when he looked back up, he expected to see Severus watching him but instead found Professor Lupin glancing at him curiously. He frowned at him and noticed the man looked exhausted, hair greasy and matted, clothes hanging from him, dark rings under his eyes and he was very pale looking. He looked like he'd caught a bad case of the flu. It's a good thing he has a strong immune system so he won't catch anything like that. He's caught the worst he possibly could.

The entire time he sat in the hall, all he could feel was an unnerving pair of eyes on him, smell dog fur in the room which put him off his dinner and hear the murmur of everyone's voices overlapping painfully loud in his eardrums.

* * *

Remus was picking at his own food lazily and trying his best to ignore all the voices in the room that were making his head hurt. Times like these were painful for him, his body would go into overdrive and he'd need rest. You'd think after most of his life dealing with this he'd be used to it. 

He only came to the Great Hall because he didn't want to be alone on Christmas Eve in his room. That would be ultimately sad. The pain he had to endure was worth it, right? Besides, it gave no room for suspicion when people looked at him. Nobody would ask where he was and what was wrong. 

He was getting his headache under control and letting the Pain Relieving Potion that the school matron gave him finally kick in when suddenly his nose was hit with an overwhelming scent that he _knows_ he's smelled before. It was dog. But, where from? Who's?

The strange thing was it only appeared as soon as Severus Snape and Harry Potter walked into the room. Do either one of them own a pet dog? Severus doesn't seem like the type to own pets, apart from the recommended owl to deliver his mail. And, he knows Harry doesn't as they already had this conversation in his classroom when Harry questioned _him_ if _he_ owned one.

How strange. 

He couldn't help but stare at the small and tired looking boy as he stabbed at his food on his plate, hardly even eating anything. He looked like he either tasted or smelled something foul and was put off his food. He could honestly relate.

The boy looked far too tired for his age and it was concerning. It was as if he hadn't had a good nights sleep in days.

A few times they made eye contact and something in Remus felt pulled towards him, yet he didn't know why. 

_'It's probably because it's Lily and James' son, you feel protective of him,'_ he thinks rationally to himself, not knowing that's not the whole truth.

* * *

That night was the worst for Harry. He tossed and turned without getting any sleep, the full moon shining brightly in the sky and making a mockery of him as it shined through the frozen lake and in through the common room and dormitory windows. He just couldn't catch a break. 

He was glad nobody was around, as he chose to lock himself in the bathroom and take his anger out on the walls and mirrors, punching them and smashing them until his knuckles were bloodied and bruised. 

He knew it was bad luck to break a mirror, but considering what happened at the Leaky Cauldron when he stayed there during the summer, he figures it hardly matters if he breaks one anymore. He's doomed for death by the end of the school year, according to Death's Book. And, if he miraculously survives, due to the stigma around his bad luck, he's bound to have a morbid seven years ahead of himself.

He could hear Nessie calling to him on the other side of the bathroom door, telling him to come back to bed and calm down but he ignored her, continuously punching the walls and getting glass shards in his fists. He kicked and screamed until his throat felt raw. 

He didn't know how long he went at it for, only that he was pulled back to reality with a strong hand on his shoulder shaking him and a voice calling his name.

"Breath, Harry. Just focus on your breathing," Severus' voice said soothingly as he rubbed his back. 

Harry was hunched over and catching his breath and his fists bled. His eyes were watering, whether from the pain or emotion, he couldn't tell.

"I'm fine," he mumbled to Severus who tutted and led him out the bathroom, back into his dorm. He sat him on the bed and sighed, getting out his wand and began cleaning him up with some Healers spells. 

"You're most certainly not fine, otherwise you wouldn't be in this state," Severus said.

"Whatever. I _will_ be fine then," Harry conceded.

Severus glared and got up, going into the bathroom to clean up the mess with another flick of his wand. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"How'd you find me?"

"Your snake came to fetch me in my classroom whilst I was cleaning things up. She must have known you weren't alright and trusted me to come help you. She's very clever," he said sincerely whilst looking at Nessie.

Nessie nodded her appreciation to the man and Harry smiled tiredly. "She is. Thanks, Ness." 

"Were you outside of the common room at the time?"

"No. She knows how to open the door. It's a serpent, she just hisses to it in Parseltongue and it opens. It works for me, too." Severus looked astonished at the news and Harry grinned, glad to have shared the information. "Makes sense, since Salazar created this place."

He suddenly groaned and clutched his head, letting out a whine at the throbbing sensation. "Try to breath through it," Severus spoke softly. Harry tried to calm his breathing but another wave of red hot pain shot up his back and he cried out again, doubling over and curling up into a ball on the bed, burying his face in the mattress.

Tears began to fall and he was in too much pain to feel any embarrassment for the time being. Nessie curled around him and offered comforting words whilst Severus brushed his long hair out his face.

"H-hurts..." Harry whimpered.

"I know, but it'll pass soon. I'll stay with you until you fall asleep," he promised and continued to stroke his hair. "You know, tomorrow is Christmas and I hope you're feeling better by then because I have something special planned."

Harry lifted his head up to look at him. "Like what?"

"Get better and you'll find out," the man said. "I think you'll appreciate it. You do like Quidditch a lot, don't you?" Harry nodded quickly and Severus smiled. "I thought so."

Harry wanted to ask more questions but found himself feeling sleepy. With the comfort of the two beings he trusted most sitting with him and offering soothing words whilst playing with his hair, he soon forgot about the pain and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**"Wake up, youngling. You've got to eat some food, your tummy is making noises again,"** Nessie's voice nagged him early in the morning. **"There's also presents for you downstairs, underneath a big green tree."**

Harry sat up stiffly and rubbed his eyes, letting them adjust to the light. He stretched and was glad he was feeling better as the monthly cycle was now over. He was covered in minor scratches and bruises that he'd given himself during the night, but otherwise was unharmed. Severus had done a pretty good job of mending the rest of his injuries for him.

**"Gimme a minute,"** he mumbled. He looked to the side and saw a letter sitting on his bedside drawer. He picked it up and read it.

> _Merry Christmas!_
> 
> _Open your gifts, eat some breakfast and then if you feel you have the energy, come meet with me_
> 
> _Severus_

**"Stop being lazy, let's go now!"** Nessie said impatiently. **"You've been given items for enjoyment, go play with them."**

He grinned and nodded, getting out of bed and heading downstairs with her trailing behind him quickly. In the common room, there were some presents underneath a tree that were clearly for him.

He ripped into the largest one there, revealing a shiny new broom. It was the latest Firebolt and all the professional Quidditch players were flying with these. 

**"Who would have gotten me this?"** he asked in awe.

**"Maybe your protector got it for you? He was talking to you about the flying sport last night,"** Nessie said.

**"My protector?"** Harry asked. **"You mean Severus? He's not my protector. He's my... my teacher."** He shrugged nonchalantly and ignored the butterflies that rose up in his tummy at her words. Why did they feel so comforting and good?

**"A teacher who protects you."**

**"Because that's his job!"**

**"He doesn't protect the other children the way he protects you,"** Nessie said mischievously, as if she knew something he didn't.

He just rolled his eyes and ignored her, focusing back on the Firebolt. **"I don't think Severus bought this. These are _really_ expensive and his job wouldn't pay that much."**

**"Then who?"** Nessie asked. **"The Headmaster?"**

Harry snorted. **"Please. He won't spend a Sickle on me. And if he did, everyone would accuse him of favouritism."**

**"I guess you've got a secret admirer, then."**

Harry continued to look through all the presents, sighing when he noticed he received another Weasley jumper. It was green and had a big white 'H' on the front. At least Mrs Weasley thought to go with the House aesthetics for him. It didn't mean he'd put it on, however. And if Ron gave him hassle for it, he'd shove his old broom up the boy's backside.

There were a few more presents, mostly just from Housemates who'd wanted to bring him some official Christmas cheer and hand him sweets or expensive quills. 

What eventually caught his eye however, was the small black box lying under the tree with a clasp on it. It had a note on top, saying it was from Severus. This must be what his surprise was. He unlocked the clasp and, much to his disbelief, inside it was a professional standard Quidditch Snitch sitting shiny and new. He picked it up and it's wings fluttered to life. He let it go and it hovered in front of his face, never going too far from him.

He looked closely and engraved on the front of the Snitch read _'Let a Merry Christmas be what you Seek'._

He smiled down at it and tucked the Snitch away again in the box for safe keeping. He'd never be able to make it up to the man for this and he felt so guilty. He didn't have time to buy anything when he was in Hogsmeade because he was busy taking care of other things that day. What could he possibly do in return? He'll have to think of something quickly. 

For now, he runs back upstairs to get himself ready for the day, taking a quick shower and dressing in his dark grey robes with purple piping. He feeds Nessie some food and smiles as she tucks herself into his bed, then heads on his way to the Great Hall for some breakfast.

As he enters the Great Hall, he stops in his tracks as he sees that all the tables have been pushed to the side and only one remaining table is left in the centre of the room for everyone to sit at. He gapes in horror, this couldn't be happening. He liked to sit alone, he enjoyed his space!

"Ah, Harry! You've finally made it, please sit. We were just beginning to dig in," Dumbledore smiled and gestured to a seat at the table where the few remaining students and staff members were huddled together. He sat down with a sigh, unfortunately next to Hermione and across from Ron. He was trapped.

"Why are the seats changed, sir?" he asked sourly.

"Well, there are so little of us here, we figured we may as well abandon House placements during our Christmas feast. It's nice to get together and celebrate as one, don't you think?" he asked.

Harry shrugged, bored. "Never really thought about it."

The teachers began pulling apart crackers which let out loud bangs. He held in a wince and glared at the offending items, daring them to try it again so he'd have an excuse to jump over the table and start a brawl. 

Ron kept looking down at his pocket every few minutes and whispering, making him frown. 

"Who are you talking to?" he asked suspiciously.

"I'm trying to keep Scabbers calm. He's feeling a lot of anxiety," Ron glared.

Harry snorted into his orange juice. "Your rat is feeling anxious? About what? Has the cheese gone blue? Does he not like it mouldy? I didn't think a rat had preferences."

The twins let out giggles which made Ron scowl at them, then he turned on him. "For your information, he's on edge because there's threats around the school right now. I'm the only one who cares enough to keep him safe."

"What kind of threats could a rat be scared of?"

"Well, your bloody snake, for starters!" Ron snapped. "And, her violent Kneazle which is always trying to kill my poor Scabbers," he said whilst pointing an accusing finger at Hermione.

She gasped in shock. "Don't start bringing Crookshanks into this again! He's a harmless cat!"

"Yeah, right," Ron rolled his eyes. "And, not to mention there's Dementors who could suck the life out of him. And, there's crazed lunatics running around who could kill him."

"I don't think Sirius Black is going to kill your rat. You're being paranoid," Harry said sarcastically. 

Ron grinned maliciously at him. "I actually wasn't talking about Sirius Black."

He heard multiple people gasp and there was a stunned silence. Harry broke it by snorting. "For once, you've got something right. I'll gladly kill your stupid rodent by feeding him to _Buckbeak_."

Ron's mouth dropped open and he looked like he was ready to jump over the table and punch Harry, but Hermione intervened. 

"Just stop it, both of you!" she snapped.

"Didn't you hear what he just said?" Ron asked in outrage.

Hermione glared at Harry. "Yes, I did." She sounded hurt yet he couldn't bring himself to care. "But, let's rise above it. All of us."

Harry took a sip of his orange juice and hummed. "Sounds like a splendid idea," he said casually whilst shrugging the whole argument off as if it never even happened. Funnily enough, Ron looked like he was about to burst an artery.

"You're such a d-"

Dumbledore suddenly coughed and Ron turned bright red in embarrassment, shutting up immediately. Harry grinned in satisfaction, especially when he caught sight of Severus' glare towards the boy. If the man was speaking his mind right now, he'd be giving him the yelling of a lifetime. 

"Why aren't you wearing your jumper, Harry?" Fred asked him.

"Yeah. Didn't mum make you one?" George asked.

Harry shrugged. "She did, it was nice and green. I'll write to her later and say thanks," he smiled.

"So, why not wear it?" Ron accused. "Don't want to be seen wearing anything that belongs to my family? Think you're too good for us?"

Harry just sighed. "No. I just fancied wearing robes. I got dressed before I found the jumper and didn't want to change."

"Whatever," Ron grumbled.

The conversation started drifting to what they all got for Christmas and Harry found himself laughing when the twins retold the story of how they jinxed a box to explode with fake spiders in Ron's face this morning.

"I wish I'd seen that," he laughed.

"You could have," he heard Ron mumble but didn't comment. He knew exactly what he meant by it.

"So, what did you get, Potter?" McGonagall asked with a smile.

"Well, it's curious. I'm not sure who gave me it or why - not that I'm complaining - but I just don't know who to thank for it. I woke up and I found a brand new Firebolt addressed to me," he said.

"As in the new Firebolt broomstick?" McGonagall immediately asked. He nodded. "Who would have thought of that? They're so expensive."

"That's what I was thinking. And why." He frowned. "I know I'll be making the Quidditch Captain next year because I'm going to try out and do my best to secure the position," he said confidently whilst ignoring Ron's snort. "Maybe someone on the Quidditch team gave me it."

"It's a possibility," Severus spoke up. "They could be seeing your potential and want to get you the broom to win you over. A lot of the Slytherins come from money, it's not uncommon knowledge."

"Hmm. Why not leave a note?" he asked.

"What if it's a trap?" Hermione asked. Harry raised an eyebrow. "You never know! It could be booby-trapped to throw you off when you fly on it, or something."

"Hermione, that would be hilarious. Why are you throwing a fit?" Ron whispered whilst smirking.

Harry kicked him hard under the table. "Bog off, Weasley!"

"Ow!" he yelled.

Severus sighed. "I'll check it over for you, don't worry."

"Thanks," Harry nodded.

Trelawney chose that moment to come stumbling into the hall, babbling away to herself like usual. "Sorry I'm late, Headmaster. But, I am here now. Better late than never," she smiled.

Dumbledore chuckled at her antics. "Quite right, Sybil. Come have a seat and dig in to some delicious food."

She came forward and was going to take a seat across from him when she suddenly gasped, startling everyone. Harry dropped his toast in shock, frowning at the jam that splattered over the table.

"There are twelve of you seated! I can not sit as there will be thirteen of us and that will bring bad luck," she says grimly. "If there are thirteen people at a table, the first person to stand shall die."

Harry gulped, hating himself for falling for it. 

_'It's all a bunch of rubbish! None of it is real!'_ he kept telling himself. Yet, unlucky numbers kept standing out again and there was always the constant threat of death. He feels his stomach get queasy and loses his appetite. 

"We shall risk it, Sybil. Come sit," McGonagall said impatiently, clearly not buying it.

Harry wanted to yell at her and shake some sense into her.

Trelawney sits down slowly and starts looking around. "Where is Professor Lupin? Is he still ill?"

"You have the Inner Eye, shouldn't you already know that?" McGonagall asked.

Trelawney sniffed. "Of course I do. I was just making sure Severus brewed his potion for him."

Harry looked to him curiously, wondering what she was talking about. The man refused to look at him, however. "Yes, I did and he is fine. Now, let's move on," he grit out.

"What potion?" Ron asked with a slight accusation.

"You could say Lupin has been feeling a little under the weather," Trelawney says casually.

McGonagall and Snape both got fierce looks in their eyes and turned to her. 

"Stop," McGonagall hissed. Harry felt like he was missing something, as if the answer was right there in front of him but he was too oblivious to figure it out. 

He sighed and decided to head back to his dorm to catch up on some sleep. He'd talk to Severus later in the day when he's feeling more energised. As he stood up and went to walk away, Trelawney pointed a finger at him and yelled out.

"You! You were the first to stand!" She looked saddened and it took a moment for all the information to catch up with him.

The first to stand would be the one to die...

He felt his stomach sink further and gulped, noticing all the concerned looks sent his way. 

"Harry-" Dumbledore began but he just shook his head.

"I'm tired," he said then turned around and walked off without looking back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> I have a feeling that this book in particular is going to be very long - at least much longer than the other ones. I have so much more info to write in this book than I had with the last three. After all, this is where I originally planned on starting the series! It's gonna be a long ride aha. I'm very excited :D
> 
> This Wolves series in total will take AT LEAST a year to get through. Considering, we're only on the fourth book and I plan to do all books, which will consist of about eight - possibly nine if I break Deathly Hallows into two parts as it will be extremely long and maybe ten parts if I decide to do a sequel at the end to finish it off, just like I started with a prequel. So, I hope you're prepared for a journey ahead with me!


	18. Expecto Patronum!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finding Professor Lupin's room, tackling the Boggart again and losing Scabbers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another quick update!!

_'Stupid Trelawney, why does she have to make everything worse?'_ he thought to himself as he stormed off.

He didn't know where he was going exactly. He originally planned on heading back to the common room but on his way there, he found his feet taking him in another direction completely. The thought of being shut away with his thoughts right now scared him and the idea of going for a stroll to clear his head sounded appealing. 

He took calming breaths and walked through the empty castle halls, ignoring the pestering voices of the portraits calling out to him and Peeves cackling in the distance. 

He walked up a staircase and along another dark hall that was quite secluded, and that's when he smelled it again. 

He sniffed thoroughly and followed the scent of fur, seeking it out. He was glad nobody was around as he must have looked like an idiot with his nose sticking in the air. He followed the smell until it led around the corner and stopped outside of a large door. He thought it was an abandoned classroom and heard someone shuffling around inside. Perhaps, this was the person who had been sneaking a dog on the grounds and he'd get them caught out. 

He gave the door a hard knock and called out. "Hello? Who's in there?" he asked. 

There was more noise from inside and a moment later, much to his surprise, Professor Lupin appeared at the door looking rather ragged. "Harry?" he asked with a croaky voice.

"Sir, what are you doing in an empty classroom? Your class is on another floor," he frowned.

Lupin smiled. "This is my private quarters."

"Oh," Harry muttered. "That makes sense. Um... sorry. I'll just go," he said awkwardly and began to step back.

Lupin chuckled. "You don't have to, you're hardly intruding on anything Harry. I was just resting, but I'm feeling better now. The pain medicine has kicked in."

"Yeah. Some teachers said you were feeling ill. Do you have the flu?" he asked.

Lupin nodded. "I'm a little under the weather, as they say."

"I get that," Harry agreed, not elaborating.

"Would you like to come in and have some tea?" Lupin asked, standing aside.

Harry bit his lip and took a peek into his living space, not seeing any kind of animal that would jump out and attack him. He sighed and nodded. "Why not?" he smiled. "I'm sure you'll provide better company than the kind I just had."

Lupin let him in and they sat down in the small living room area on the couches, pouring them both some tea. "Oh? What happened?" he asked in concern.

Harry scowled. "Just Ronald Weasley being his usual stupid self, accusing me of things. And, to make things worse, Professor Trelawney predicted I was going to die in front of everyone."

Lupin gaped and sat his cup down. "That's not true, Harry. Nothing is going to happen to you. You have lots of protection here at this school, from the teachers, your friends and the Aurors at the Ministry."

He just chuckled. "I don't even know if she meant death by Sirius Black's hands. I think she meant I could simply fall down the stairs and crack my skull or choke on some peanuts. I was the first person to stand up from the table, it could have been anyone but it was me."

Lupin sighed. "Don't listen to that tripe. I'm sure Sybil is a lovely woman but anyone who had your absolute best interest at heart wouldn't go around telling you that you were going to die. It's just for shock factor," he said comfortingly.

"Okay." Harry let himself relax at the words, pretending he was right. But, deep down he knew he was wrong. 

"So, what brought you up to this part of the castle anyway? It's quite a walk from the dungeons and the Great Hall, isn't it? Or were you just exploring?" Lupin smirked.

Harry frowned. "I was looking for something but I lost it again. It doesn't matter," he sighed.

"What did you lose? Maybe I could help?" Lupin asked.

Harry hummed. "Maybe I'm going mental but I hope I'm right because it would make me less paranoid. I think someone has a dog in the school," he said. 

"A what?" Lupin asked with wide eyes.

Harry smirked. "A dog! I know, it's crazy. It's not on the list of pets allowed, but I can smell it everywhere I go and I want to find it."

"H-how can you smell a dog?" Lupin stuttered.

Harry frowned but continued. "I just have very good senses. It's one of my _unique_ abilities, of many," he grinned whilst not saying anything else on the matter. He didn't need to know.

Lupin nodded slowly. "Uh-huh. And, you smelled it around this part of the castle?"

"Yeah, in this hallway. I actually thought it was coming from inside this room. I even thought you'd smuggled one in. That would be hilarious," he laughed. "I wouldn't even tell on you because that's brilliant."

Lupin let out a small chuckle. "Glad you think so. But, I can guarantee I haven't been sneaking any dogs on the school grounds. Use Veritaserum on me and find out."

Harry held up his hands. "Don't worry, I believe you. Although, I wouldn't need to drug you. I could just read your mind if I wanted," he smirked.

"You'd have to be a Legillimens to do that," Lupin raised an eyebrow. Harry stared at him and the man blinked. "You're not one, are you?"

"Like I said. Many talents," Harry smiled. "Or maybe I'm just lying."

Lupin eyed him with what looked like wariness and went back to drinking his tea. Harry could understand why he'd be nervous. The man probably wasn't good at Occlumency and therefore any Legillimens could enter his mind and see his thoughts. That thought alone must be nerve wracking, you'd feel anxious and vulnerable all the time. Hence, the reason he wanted to and did master both arts.

He'd never have that problem. He'd never have to worry about people seeing inside his head and controlling him. He was completely free to do as he wanted, think how he wanted and it was a liberating feeling.

Eventually, they both finished their tea and Harry decided to leave the man alone as he said he was tired and planning on going for a nap. Harry sympathised as he wanted to do the exact same thing, however he had to visit Severus first.

He sucked up his pride and guilt, walked down into the dungeons where his classroom was and entered, seeing the man leaning over a steaming cauldron. 

"What are you brewing?" he asked.

"Some medicine for Madam Pomfrey. A few people have caught colds and need remedies," he said with a cringe. "I am obviously in charge of that."

Harry snickered at him childishly. "I hope you're having fun." He got a glare in return. "By the way, I want to thank you for the gift. I love it," he smiled.

Severus' face softened. "I thought you might. You can see that's why I asked you about Quidditch."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, it makes total sense," he laughed. "I would never take you for the sporty type in general."

Severus shook his head. "Only if it involves our House team winning."

"Quite right," Harry agreed.

"So, you liked the message on the front?" Severus asked hopefully.

Harry pulled the Snitch out of his pocket, which he had snuck in there before he left the common room this morning and watched it's wings flutter open. It hovered in front of his face when he let it go and the message reappeared. "I think it's awesome."

The man relaxed. "Good."

Harry shifted awkwardly on the spot. "I... um." He scratched the back of his head. "Well, I kind of forgot to get you something. I've been so busy studying for every class that it slipped my mind. Plus, I didn't even go to Hogsmeade, so I couldn't buy anything even if I remembered," he said guiltily whilst bending the truth.

Severus smiled at him. "I know Harry, it's alright. It's not your job to get me things. You're the child and I'm the adult, it's my responsibility."

"But-"

"No buts. If it means that much to you, you can make it up to me by helping me brew another batch of Cold Remedy Potion and prove how good of a student you are. That'll make my Christmas happy. I'll know I've done a good job of mentoring you," he grinned.

Harry nodded and ran to get another cauldron, quickly setting up his own station and began brewing in record speed. By the time they were both finished, they'd brewed ten vials each and Severus had awarded him ten House points and a gentle pat on the shoulder.

* * *

Later, Harry gave his new Firebolt to Severus who said he'd take it off his hands to examine it for any booby-traps like Hermione had suggested. He still thought the idea was ridiculous, nobody would be that stupid enough to curse a broom.

Sure, Quirrell pulled that stunt in his first year but that doesn't mean anyone else is going to try the same. He was being controlled by Voldemort. Nobody else around here is working for him, are they? He dreads to think if the answer is yes.

By the time lunch comes around, he's heading to the hall and spots an upset looking Hermione standing near an alcove with Ron. They look like they're whispering about something and he narrows his eyes when they point to him.

"Here he comes!" Hermione whisper shouts to Ron.

"Here I am," Harry deadpanned. "What were you whispering about? Being sneaky again?"

"It's about you, actually," Hermione says. "McGonagall's worried for your safety. She was going to come talk to you."

Ron scoffs loudly but Harry ignores him.

"Oh? About what?" he crosses his arms.

"Your new broom. She thinks it's been sent to you by Sirius Black," she said seriously. "And I have to say, it makes sense. You have no idea who else could have sent you it, after all."

"So, you're saying Black sent me a broom to make my Christmas happier before he kills me?" he raised an eyebrow.

"No! It's probably cursed or something, like I said."

"And if it's not, I'll have to thank him for the nice gift," he smirked.

"This is why I told you we shouldn't pass along the message! He's a foul git and doesn't deserve any warning. Let him suffer the consequences of his actions," Ron spat.

"Ronald, stop it!" Hermione snapped.

"Oh, so that's what you were whining about. You were trying to stop her from giving me the message? How very mature of you," Harry rolled his eyes.

"Enough!" she screeched, making Harry wince and clutch his ears.

"Jeez, chill out," he mumbled.

She took in a deep breath to calm herself and spoke more calmly. "Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall will be looking over your broom to make sure it's safe and in the meantime, you've not to fly it, or any other broom or leave the grounds, at all. That's what she said. Now, I'm going to get some lunch because I'm hungry," she said quickly and stormed into the hall, leaving them both standing there in silence.

They stared at each other for a second before glaring and following after her, determinedly sitting far away from each other at the table in the hall.

* * *

Soon enough, all the students came back to school and the common room was filled with a hundred Slytherin kids running around and unpacking their things, talking about their holidays.

"It was so fun. Mother and I stayed in our villa in Italy and when we went for a walk on the beach, the snow fell over the sand and eventually froze the sea over. It was so beautiful," Blaise told them.

"I just stayed at home in the Manor with Mother and Father," Malfoy said. "We did get some new peacocks for the garden. Although, they're quite vicious."

Harry snorted, glad he didn't have to be there to see or deal with that.

Flint came up to him when he was finally sitting alone and grinned at him. "So, do you want to help me go over some new strategies for our next match? Show me if you've still got those strategic skills," he said. "Hopefully, there won't be any Dementors this time around."

Harry smiled. "Of course I do. We won, remember?" He then let out a sigh and looked disappointed. "We've got a problem, though. I got a Firebolt for my Christmas present."

"How is that a problem?" Flint asked astonished. "That's the best news I've heard yet! This will triple our chances of winning now."

Harry shook his head. "It _would_ , if I didn't get it confiscated. It was sent to me anonymously and Snape and McGonagall have no idea who's behind it or why. They think it could be jinxed to hurt me so they're going to try and take it apart."

"They can't do that! Nobody would dare ruin a _Firebolt_!"

"Apparently, Sirius Black might."

Flint scoffed. "That's ridiculous. Black's in hiding, as soon as he shows his face he'll be caught and thrown back into Azkaban or Kissed. Do they really believe it was him buying you brooms? McGonagall's just at it. She's probably using this as an excuse to try and get you to stop playing and then we'll lose."

"It seems a little far fetched..."

"Hasn't she done similar things in the past?"

Harry hummed and chewed on his lip thoughtfully. The boy did have a point. McGonagall's word couldn't necessarily be trusted completely. She may be a teacher but she was also the number one enemy of their team. Who's to say it's not sabotage? And, who's to say she didn't come up with this plan with Hermione? Even Ron?

He huffs angrily and nods. "Yeah, okay."

"I shall go talk to her and Professor Snape as soon as possible," Flint said. "Try to change their minds."

"Thanks."

"No problem, Potter."

* * *

They were back in classes now and truthfully, Harry was glad he could get back to his regular schedule. He liked school, he missed the work and getting the good grades. He missed Quidditch! If only he could have his broom back.

He was just packing up his things at the end of their first Defence class when Professor Lupin stopped him. "Harry, wait a second!"

He slung his bag over his shoulder and hung back, waiting until everyone else was gone. "What's up, sir?"

"I was wondering if you were still up for tackling your Boggart? We did say we could get around to it once the term started back up after the holidays," Lupin smiled. "I'm sure it'll still be a Dementor like last time."

"Yeah, me too," he nodded and agreed to meet up with him in a few days once he got the wardrobe back. Lupin wrote him a note to excuse his late behaviour and he left the class, running as quickly as he could on his way to Transfiguration.

McGonagall accepted the note with a pleased hum and he sat down next to Blaise, getting out his notes.

"Special permission from the teachers to skip class now?" he heard Ron mumble whilst the teacher was at the other end of the class.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yet, here I am."

"You were five minutes late!"

"Lupin wanted to talk to me, it was important," Harry glared.

"What could possibly be more important than class?" Ron accused.

"Like _you_ ever pay attention in class," Malfoy muttered under his breath, earning chuckles from the people around them.

"Shut your mouth, Malfoy!" Ron grit out. 

"If you must know, Lupin wants me to tackle my Boggart again. I'm getting lessons from him," Harry said.

"Private lessons?" Ron gaped. "What about the rest of us?"

Harry shrugged. "Ask him. Don't be afraid, unless that's your Boggart," he chuckled.

"At least mine isn't a Dementor," Ron cringed.

"Still more reasonable than a silly little spider," Harry snorted. "Seriously, Ron. Just stomp on them or let Scabbers eat them."

More people laughed at that and Ron clenched his fists. "Scabbers wouldn't dare eat spiders. He has class. Your snake would eat them, though. I know that for a fact!"

Harry nodded. "That's right. She would and she does. And, she eats rodents even bigger than your precious Scabby rat. But, if she were to try and digest him she'd probably throw him back up because he's so disgusting. Believe me, you don't want to see a snake puke. It's horrible."

"Ugh!" Ron gagged and turned away from him on his seat. 

McGonagall looked over at them all and narrowed her eyes. "What's going on over there? Are you all talking or working?"

Harry smiled innocently. "Doing our work, Professor." He got a nod and sighed in relief, going back to writing on his parchment.

* * *

"So, inside that wardrobe is the Boggart from before?" Harry asked as he stood in the abandoned classroom with Professor Lupin a couple of days later.

"Correct. As you know, it takes the form of what a person fears most and there are two of us here so it has only us to choose from," Lupin smiled.

"What was yours about, Professor? I could have sworn it was the moon in the sky," he frowned.

Lupin's smile dropped and he sighed. "Oh, you know. I'm scared of the dark, that's all. I think it resembles night time," he shrugged.

"Ah. That makes sense," Harry said.

"So, we know that a Dementor will come out of there and I was thinking that perhaps I could teach you the Patronus Charm we talked about. After all, what better way to practice it than on a Dementor," Lupin raised an eyebrow. "If you want to, of course."

Harry grinned. "Yeah, I'd love to try that. What will it look like?"

"Well, it conjures an animal that represents every person differently. Your mother and father could cast the Patronus Charm very well."

"Oh? What were theirs?"

"Lily was a doe and James was a stag," the man smiled fondly. "We all used to say they were perfect for each other because they both turned out to be deer and would trot along and live in the forest together," he chuckled.

Harry smirked. "Heh. Maybe, I'll turn out to be some kind of deer too, just like them," he said curiously. "Can that happen?"

Lupin nodded. "It can. It all depends on how the magic would like to channel itself. Sometimes memory and mood can effect it. Do you want to try it out?"

"Go on, then."

_'Oh, god. If I manage to conjure a Patronus and it turns out to be a deer, people are going to start calling me Bambi the little orphan, aren't they?'_ he realises bitterly. Just another nickname to plague him these days. As much as it stings, he now hopes that it doesn't turn out to be some kind of woodland creature. He's already a mockery amongst the students with names like 'Scarface' and the infamous 'Boy Who Lived'. He would hate for something else to be added to the list. 

"Now, I want you to think of a happy memory, don't let it go," Lupin told him. Harry closed his eyes and thought hard, finding it difficult. He didn't have the best of memories, considering he grew up in an abusive household as his parents were murdered by a madman. Then, that said madman tried to repeatedly murder him these past two years he's been in school. 

He's also lost his friends and has blood on his hands due to the murder of his aunt, Professor Quirrell, Professor Lockhart, Ginny and the animals he slaughtered, which resulted in his soul getting split into tiny fragments. Not to mention the fact that there's multiple predictions surrounding his inevitable doom, how he'll either die due to an accident or a Dementor will suck out his soul and send him to Death's Doorstep where he'll rot for all eternity.

It doesn't help that he's managing all of this whilst he has to undergo painful monthly transformations due to a lycanthropy infection that has no cure.

He sighs and shakes away the negative thoughts, desperately trying to think of something positive. He remembers when he successfully brewed Wolfsbane Potion all by himself and how happy he felt that day. He nods to Lupin to let him know he's ready.

"Repeat after me. Expecto Patronum," he said whilst waving his wand.

Harry waved his wand whilst repeating the incantation, gasping as a silvery spark shot out the end of his wand. "Was that it? Did I do it?" he asks.

Lupin smiled. "Yes, you did. That was a great start, Harry. Let's try it with the Dementor, shall we?" Harry nodded shakily and took in a deep breath, preparing himself. Lupin opened the wardrobe and the large black entity slowly emerged, turning the room cold. Harry shivered, although it wasn't from the chill.

It reached out it's long black hand towards him and the candles in the room began to go out, submerging them in near darkness. "It... is you," the Dementor whispered out eerily. "We... are coming... for you. He... is waiting."

Harry's breath hitched and he shakily raised his wand, muttering out the spell. "Expecto... Patronum..." he distantly heard his voice trail off and everything suddenly went dark.

"Harry?" he heard a familiar voice call out to him and suddenly sat up, scared that it was a Dementor leaning over him. He relaxed when he saw it was just Professor Lupin. "Relax, it's only me. The Boggart is back in the wardrobe."

"What happened? Did I faint?" he asked in embarrassment. 

"Don't worry, it's perfectly normal. You were scared and those things are pretty frightening. Even I was scared and they're not my Boggart," Lupin said comfortingly. "Eat some chocolate, it'll help," he said.

Harry shook his head, refusing the offered food. "No thanks, I don't really like chocolate."

Lupin's eyebrows rose. "You don't? I've never heard a teenager say that before. There's only one man I've heard mutter those words but that's a long story and not really important," he said quietly. Harry frowned but didn't question him. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'll feel worse if I eat it, it make me sick. Stomach problems."

Lupin nodded slowly. "Alright. Drink something then." He offered him some water and he chugged it back quickly, feeling more alert. "You don't have to try it again if you don't want to."

Harry glared at the wardrobe. "No, I want to try it again. I can do better, I know it," he said determinedly. 

"Alright. But, try thinking of a different memory this time. Perhaps, the one you were thinking of wasn't strong enough," the man suggested.

Harry nodded and shut his eyes, recollecting his thoughts. He thought about when Severus gave him his Golden Snitch for Christmas and this brought a smile to his face. "Okay, I think I have one."

"Let's try it out, then." Lupin opened the wardrobe door again and the Dementor slowly approached Harry, arm outstretched for him.

"He... is coming... for you..." it croaked out, the room getting icy cold. "We... all... are..."

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry yelled out, pointing his wand to the Dementor. A small spark erupted from his wand, much to his surprise. 

"Run... for your... life..."

"Expecto Patronum!" He yelled louder, the spark unfortunately beginning to die out. "Expecto... expect-" he mumbled sluggishly as everything went black again.

"Harry, wake up! You're alright, focus on my voice," Lupin's voice brought him back to reality again.

He groaned and clutched his head. "Did it happen again?" he asked miserably.

"Unfortunately," Lupin said. "I think you've had enough for today. We'll try again next week when you're feeling better."

"No! I don't think that memory was strong enough, either. I can do this, let me prove myself," he said with a fierce look.

Lupin frowned. "You don't have to _prove_ yourself. You're an amazing wizard, you'll do great things. But, even adults have trouble managing this spell. I don't want you pushing yourself too hard at only thirteen."

"I'm not. I can do anything I put my mind to, I'm not lazy or weak," Harry said stubbornly.

"I would never imply you were because that's far from the truth," the man said seriously. "Why do you need to complete this spell so badly?"

Harry wasn't going to risk telling him that the reason he wanted to learn the spell was because his life was literally in the hands of the Dementors right now and he was terrified of what may happen if the ones surrounding the school decided to sneak onto the grounds and finally have their wicked way with him. He wanted to be prepared, he wanted to protect himself and how could he do that if he gave into his fear and didn't learn the spell?

He couldn't tell Lupin that, though. He'd know he'd read some mysterious book and brought these circumstances on himself and that would lead to him telling the Headmaster out of worry for his safety, which would probably lead to investigations as to just what he was doing and reading in his free time.

And, he'd be damned if they found his special collection of prized books and tried to take them away from him. They'd have to pry them from his cold dead hands, which may just be the case soon enough.

He simply shrugs at the man. "I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature to be determined to succeed and ambitious at life."

The man studied him curiously for a moment before sighing reluctantly and nodding. "Okay, we'll practice _one more_ time. Pick a very good memory this time, hold on to it tightly."

Harry closed his eyes a final time and searched his thoughts using his Mindscape. He began walking through a tunnel which had flickering images all around him like television screens. He looked at them all and listened in to some of the distorted voices coming through, deciding which one was worth choosing or not.

Eventually, after what felt like hours even though it had merely been a few seconds, he stumbled upon a memory from long ago where he found out he was a wizard and was going to be leaving for Hogwarts. He focused on the day he left the Dursleys and how free he finally felt to be with people like himself and how excited he was to see the castle and call it his new home.

He pulled out of his Mindscape and locked eyes with Professor Lupin. "I'm ready."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Alright," Lupin said and opened the wardrobe door. The Dementor swept out and lunged for Harry slowly with it's long hands stretching out towards his throat.

"We are... coming... for you..." it whispered.

Harry ignored the feeling of dread rise up within him and clenched his fists, making sure not to snap his wand in the process. He took in a deep breath and with all the courage and strength he could muster, he yelled out the incantation. 

"Expecto Patronum!" A large silver orb shot out of his wand and made the Dementor hiss and recoil. He felt his spirits lift and gave a weak chuckle, still feeling quite tired from all the effort. 

Lupin beamed at him. "Excellent!" he cheered and stepped in front of Harry to quickly send the Dementor back into the wardrobe, once and for all. "That was really good."

"Thanks," Harry smiled. "That felt good. Did it take on the shape of an animal?"

Lupin shook his head. "No, not yet. You'll just need some more practice," he encouraged. 

They agreed to meet up again and practice next week, much to Harry's relief and he was instructed to go to the kitchens and eat something fulfilling so he wouldn't faint again. Before he left, he looked to the teacher curiously.

"Sir, what do you know of Sirius Black?"

Lupin eyed him warily. "Why?" he said cautiously.

Harry shrugged. "I'm just wondering, that's all. It might be nice to know something about the man who's out for my neck so I can be better prepared. You can't blame a kid for asking."

Lupin hummed. "I suppose not. Well, if you must know, I went to school with him. We... talked."

"Did you go to school with my dad, too?" he asked innocently. 

"Yes, I did. We were all Gryffindors, after all," Lupin said. 

"So, that means Sirius and my dad were friends?" Harry asked.

Lupin narrowed his eyes. "Why would you ask that? Did you hear something?"

"No, I'm just putting things together," he shrugged. "After all, it makes sense considering he was the one who betrayed my family to Lord Voldemort even though he was supposed to be working with them, I think."

"Where did you hear all of this, Harry?" Lupin paled.

"So, it's true?" he raised an eyebrow. "Sir, I'm a very good listener and with all the teachers running around frantic, talking about Sirius Black this and that, I'm bound to pick a few things up. Even Mr and Mrs Weasley let things slip."

Lupin rubbed his eyes, suddenly looking extremely tired. "There's a lot about Sirius Black that you don't know-"

"Try me."

"-and it's best if it remains that way," Lupin continued. "For your own safety. You don't need to worry, you have people here to protect you as that's their job. You don't have to spy on anyone and I highly recommend that you don't," he said strongly.

"Fine," Harry mumbled and began walking out the class. "See you next week." 

He walked grumpily away and scowled at the floor. He couldn't tell him that he knew the man was his godfather and he knew Black and his father were best friends. The man already seemed on edge whenever he brought his name up, although he had no idea why. Sure, he's a criminal but if he's so sure that he won't get back onto the premises and hurt him then why stutter when the topic of conversation comes up? Maybe he's traumatised. 

He'll try not to bring it up around him again.

* * *

Slytherin were due to play against Ravenclaw soon in the upcoming Quidditch match, considering they beat Gryffindor last time and all the Gryffindors were bitter about it in classes and during meal times. They constantly threw nasty looks their way and Harry got the most scowls of all, along with the whispered insults of 'traitor' and 'snake' from them. It was laughable.

Flint came up to him with a grim expression after lunch one day and told him the news that made his stomach sink. "I spoke to Professor Snape and McGonagall. They said they won't give you your broom back."

"What?!" Harry yelled in outrage, getting a few glances. "They can't do that. I _need_ that."

"That's what I said but they won't listen," Flint growled. "It was mainly McGonagall. She said I need to sit down and stop talking about Quidditch so much. Snape was more subdued."

"She's just bitter because her team lost and doesn't have a chance at winning!" Harry snapped. "She was the one who got me into Quidditch in the first place. She has no right to say that."

"What's going on?" Pansy asked,

"I have no broom to fly on for the match."

Suddenly, everyone got up and started yelling in protest, clearly as mad as him. 

"What are you going to do?" she asked him.

"I'll handle it, don't worry," he reassured them all. There was awkward silence and he just sighed. "I will!"

They nodded and relaxed slightly. He stormed out the common room and headed towards Severus' classroom, not bothering to knock on the door as he walked in. The man was inside grading papers and looked up startled.

"Harry, what can I help you with?"

"I need my broom back."

Severus let out a sigh. "I _wish_ I could give it back to you-"

"Then do!"

"-but Minerva would throw a fit if she found out I did such a thing," he glared. "We've checked it for most curses and jinxes and everything seems to be clear, but there are some that still need to be looked over and we can't risk it."

"I'm sure it'll be fine. I'm a good flyer, nothing will happen."

"I think so, too. But, Minerva and the rest of the teachers will have both our heads. I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

"We're playing Ravenclaw soon, I can't grow wings and fly with those!"

Severus smirked. "No, but that would be impressive and amusing."

Harry pouted and crossed his arms, tapping his foot irritably. "I'll use my old one, then."

"And you'll still win because you're a great Seeker."

Harry smiled. "If you say so. But, if we lose then you don't give me homework for a full month."

He meant it as a joke but was surprised when Severus nodded. "Deal. You better not throw the game now just so you can get out of homework," he grinned.

"You know me, Sev. I love my little Potions reports. They're the most fun ones," Harry said enthusiastically. 

"Uh-huh."

* * *

Harry panted against the desk he was leaning on to catch his breath, watching Professor Lupin shove the Dementor back into the wardrobe. 

"That was wonderful, Harry. You're getting even better. I told you that you just needed practice," the man said proudly.

Harry smiled. "Thanks. I don't feel like fainting as much anymore when I see it."

"That's a good sign. It means the Patronus Charm is working it's magic," Lupin said. "Although, if you don't mind me asking again, why is your Boggart a Dementor? I know you didn't answer last time and you don't have to. I'm just highly curious."

Harry bit his lip. "Well, you told me about yours so I suppose it's only fair."

Lupin shrugged and looked away briefly, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah."

"Just knowing what they're capable of, sucking the soul and leaving someone an empty hollow shell? It's pretty horrific," he shuddered. It was the truth, he dreads the day he'd ever have to see someone in that state. He'd give someone permission to Obliviate him. What makes it worse is that it could be him. He won't elaborate on the last part, though. That's strictly just for his information, only.

"It is quite morbid," Lupin agreed. "The Ministry uses them on some of the inmates of Azkaban sometimes, if they've done really awful crimes."

"Like murder?"

"Yes," Lupin cringed. 

_'Maybe you_ do _need the Dementor's Kiss then,'_ the voice in his head spoke up.

"Shut up," he mumbled.

"I'm sorry?" Lupin asked with wide eyes.

"Sorry, I was talking to... myself. Nevermind," he waved his hand casually and ignored the man's frown. "Anyway, do you think Black will get the Kiss? Considering what he's done."

"Oh, definetly. The Ministry is out for him and they've given permission to the Dementors to suck out his soul if they see him," Lupin said.

"Good. He deserves it," Harry spat.

"He what?" Lupin asks bewildered.

"He deserves to have his soul sucked out. I hope they catch him soon," Harry says.

"You really think someone deserves that? It's a fate worse than death. It's prolonged agony, ongoing torture," Lupin frowned at him.

"I know," Harry frowned back. "And I don't think Black should be in a prison cell getting three meals a day and reading the paper after having my parents murdered and blowing up over a dozen muggles. Do you?" he asked sarcastically.

"Well-"

"I've got some studying to do. See you next week, Professor Lupin," Harry said as he left the classroom quickly, desperate to be alone.

* * *

"I don't understand how you can be taking Arithmancy and Muggle Studies at the same time. You have all the homework completed. How's that possible? I can barely manage one class, at all!"

"That's because you're too lazy, Ronald. You need to be more focused."

"I am focused! How dare you say that to me?"

"Focused on sleeping and eating. Those are your greatest ambitions," Hermione said.

"Nothing wrong with that. I like to stay healthy and well insulated for the winter," Ron snapped.

Hermione laughed sarcastically. "We have Warming Charms."

Ron crossed his arms. "Are you getting extra help from the teachers, too?"

Hermione shrugged. "If I need it. And that's because I ask."

Ron muttered to himself. "I can do things on my own."

"So stubborn."

Harry listened in from his table as they both bickered back and forth like usual. He had to agree with Ron on this one, as much as it pained him. He took all the same classes as Hermione and even though he hardly paid any attention to her as she was never his top priority, he still found it a bit odd sometimes how she'd just randomly appear or disappear in the middle of the class. She had a certain kind of skill that even he didn't possess.

Was she using a Glamour Charm to disguise herself? She didn't have an Invisibility Cloak as he had the only one in existence and he'd rather chop off his arm than give it to her.

He had his own plan of action that he still kept to this day with all the teachers, which involved attending one particular class a week and going to another the next. Then he'd catch up on missed homework after hours. It was very complicated and time consuming but these past few months he's been managing just fine because he put his mind to it and didn't let stress get to him.

He wonders if that's how Hermione's been handling the situation, too. 

After dinner, he heads back to the common room and curls up with Nessie on the couch as he completes his homework.

Soon enough, Severus comes in and is holding his Firebolt in his hand. He gasps and stands up, running over quickly.

"It would appear we were right all along. There was nothing wrong with your broom, so make sure to fly it well during the match," he nodded.

Harry took it and grinned triumphantly. "Of course. Thank you."

People started looking and eyeing his broom up and down. 

"Who do you think sent me it, though?"

"That remains a mystery, still," Severus hummed.

Everyone eventually came over and started asking to hold his broom and he flushed at the attention, glad for all the compliments he was receiving.

"We are so going to win!" Flint said, getting a chorus of cheers.

Harry went to put his broom away in his dorm under his bed and grabbed his school books, sighing down at the excessive amount of homework he had yet to catch up on.

**"I'm going to the library to grab some things,"** he told Nessie quietly when he saw her again. 

She nodded. **"Stay safe, youngling."**

He smiled and ran out the doors, heading for the library quickly. However, on his way there he was stopped in his tracks by loud screaming coming from the distance. He frowned and listened intently, recognising the voices. It sounded like Ron's and he sounded _mad._

Harry walked in the direction his voice was coming from and found him running from the Gryffindor Tower and through the hallways, face red with fury. Hermione was behind him with tears in her eyes and his brothers were trying to calm him down to no avail.

"Crookshanks didn't do anything, I promise!" Hermione pleaded.

"Didn't do anything? Did you see my bed covers? They're covered in blood! Scabbers' blood! Because your menacing cat _killed_ him!" Ron screamed at her furiously. "I _told_ you to keep him away!"

Harry gaped as he watched the scene unfold from around the corner. He hadn't seen Ron this upset in a while. It made sense though, considering the last time he was this mad was when he lost his sister. Now, he's apparently lost his rat so it would appear as if he's lost the plot, all together.

"Ron, mate, calm down. I'm sure Crookshanks didn't do anything," Fred said nervously.

"Yeah, Scabbers is pretty old. Maybe, he just died," George suggested.

"There was cat hair!" Ron yelled.

"Well..." Fred mumbled.

"Piss off with your excuses, I'm so sick of this!" Ron glared at them all and turned around, storming off. 

"Ron, please wait!" Hermione called out but he just ignored her. She stood there trembling and tears poured down her cheeks. The twins sighed and wrapped their arms around her shoulders comfortingly. 

"He'll come back around," George smiled.

"I don't think so," she sniffed. "He was really mad."

Neither boy said anything else, just patted her on the shoulder gently and led her back towards the common room. 

Harry continued on his walk to the library, grabbed his necessary books and ran back to his dorm where he quickly told Nessie _everything._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> I was going to post this last night but I wanted to add extra details to make sure it was well written. By then, it was about 1am haha. 
> 
> PS - I was originally going to make it so that Harry COULDN'T produce a Patronus, just in case anyone wanted to know that little detail. It was a debate I had with myself for a while, I figured he may have too many disturbed thoughts, but I had to go with more realism because he has to defend himself against Dementors. Plus Remus can do it and he's a werewolf.
> 
> PPS - I want to say thank you to everyone who leaves such nice responses on my chapters. Your feedback always keeps me going and I never would have made it past book one in January if it weren't for you guys. It's seven months down the line now and I'm still putting everything I have into this because people want me to and I'm so grateful 💖


	19. Paranoia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quidditch, duelling and trouble in the Gryffindor Tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to post this last night but I had a medical emergency so it had to wait until today. Sorry if it's not my best, I'm still feeling a little funky

Much like Harry and Ron's friendship, it seemed like Hermione and Ron's had come to it's end, too. Truth be told, Harry was actually quite relieved to have the negative attention taken away from him for the time being as all the anger from Ron was now directed at Hermione.

The boy constantly screamed at the girl whenever she looked his way or tried to talk to him and she'd either cry or start screaming back, which would then cause everyone surrounding them to stare in shock and teachers to come running and tell them to calm down.

He was still adamant on blaming her cat for the death of his rat and she was still saying the opposite. Most people were too scared to take sides, not knowing what person was more dangerous to anger right now by getting on the wrong side, so they all kept their opinions to themselves. Harry could tell that the majority were siding with Ron, however.

It seemed logical. There was cat hair and blood at the scene of the crime where Scabbers was last sleeping, yet the cat strolled around with his fat fluffy belly and looked completely unharmed. Even Harry thought the cat might be guilty, although that could just be his personal hatred for the thing getting in the way as Kneazles and Werewolves do _not_ get along.

"I'm telling you, he didn't do it!" Hermione's voice yelled out during breakfast the next day.

"He did! And, I'm gonna get my hands on that cat and end it," Ron growled.

"How dare you! Don't threaten Crookshanks! You won't touch him," she snapped.

"Fine, I'll just... set Potter's snake on it then. I hear it likes to eat cats," he sneered.

"Ugh!" she cringed and stormed out the hall, ignoring everyone's gawking.

"Maybe that was a little too far," Fred warned.

Ron shoved him away. "Who cares? She had the right to hear that."

"Harry wouldn't let you use his snake as revenge, you know. He loves that thing," George said. "If he heard you say that-"

"-you'd be the one running from the snake-" Fred grinned.

"-and screaming like a baby," George laughed.

"No, I wouldn't. Shut up," Ron grumbled and went back to eating his cereal. Unknown to them all, Harry heard everything from where he was sitting across the hall due to his heightened senses and was hardly pleased that Ron thought to bring his familiar into his silly spat with Hermione. As if he'd ever use Nessie like that. She wasn't some object.

He wouldn't bring it up though, as that would just raise questions as to how he heard and he also didn't want to talk to the boy, at all. 

It was strange how just a year ago, they could have been sitting together in the same common room and talking idly about homework or sports with hardly any issues, but then some little inconveniences come up along the way and now Harry's at the other end of the school with other people, not talking to either of them. And, now it seems they're also drifting apart from each other. What has happened? 

He finishes up his breakfast and walks back to the dungeons quickly to get changed into his Quidditch uniform for practice. As he's near the Slytherin entrance, he hears eerie breathing from the far corner and takes a slight step back.

"Please don't be a Dementor, please, please," he whispers and gets out his wand.

Suddenly, the Bloody Baron appears from the dark and is floating before him, watching him with a slightly amused expression. "I am neither a Dementor or someone you can throw a curse at, Harrison. It shall simply go right through me."

Harry scowled and put his wand back in his arm holster. "Why'd you scare me like that?"

"It was an honest mistake. I didn't think you were a scaredy cat."

"I'm hardly _that_ ," he rolled his eyes.

"Hmm. Why are you in such a rush?" the Baron asked. "Do you not like our annual chats?" he asked in mock offence.

Harry snorted lightly. In the past few months he'd been in Slytherin House and travelling through the dungeon corridors, he'd regularly ran into the not so malicious House ghost plenty of times, both when he was alone and with other people like Malfoy, Severus or Flint. 

They were creeped out by him at first but soon started to warm up to him when they realised that the only way he wouldn't lash out and scream was to not ask where the bloodstains came from. Other people still got a little bit spooked, however, and tried their best to keep away which seemed fine with the ghost as he was pretty reclusive in his own way.

The only person he seemed to actively hunt out at any time he could for possible conversation was Harry and when he asked the ghost just _why_ that was, his simple answer was that he thought he was interesting. It was hard not to feel flattered.

"I love our chats, Baron. They're always insightful," he said. "I've just got to head to Quidditch practice. We beat the Gryffindors in the last match so hard that they're not even playing again. So, we're up against Ravenclaw. You should have seen the looks we've all been getting," he smirked.

"I was never the biggest sports enthusiast but I shall always support my snakes. Well done, Harrison. Do well again in your next match," the ghost said with pride. "But, be careful of those Dementors. You don't want to run into them again."

"I managed okay last time," Harry said.

"With the help of the Professors."

"I'm learning the Patronus Charm, actually," he said cockily. 

"Oh? Quite an advanced piece of magic, not many wizards at your age even know about it, much less dare to try it. How is it going?" the Baron asked with raised eyebrows.

Harry grinned. "Excellent. I produced a spark from my wand."

"Wonderful. I wonder what your Patronus animal will be. Do you have any ideas?"

Harry hummed in thought. It was a debate he'd been having with himself for a while now. Professor Lupin said it represented the person who cast it and he remembered that his parents were deer, so perhaps he'd take after them. Although, he is his own person and doesn't have to follow in their footsteps. Perhaps, it could recognise his lycanthropy and manifest itself as a wolf. It would make sense, of course. 

He just shrugged. "I'm not sure. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Well, good luck with that. Now, go get suited up for your game. I hear you have a new broom and I'm sure it'll come in handy," the Baron said optimistically. 

Harry nodded and hissed a quick **"open"** to the Slytherin entrance in Parseltongue because nobody else was around and was let in, walking past the large serpent on the door who hissed back a welcoming **"enter."**

He quickly got changed into his uniform in the dorm, already seeing some of the other boys there and grabbed his Firebolt from underneath his bed. 

"You better fly that thing well, Potter. We're counting on you," Malfoy said as they walked downstairs.

"Relax. I know what I'm doing. And, it's not even the official game yet, we've still got time to practise," he said irritably.

"Have you and Flint came up with a decent game plan yet?" he asked.

"We went over some stuff last night, actually. We'll discuss it on the field." Malfoy nodded and he walked with Harry and Goyle to the pitch, glad to see the rest of their team already setting things up.

"Bole! Stop messing around with that Bludger and get your arse over here!" Flint snapped and everyone eventually gathered around in a huddle. "So, here's what we're going to do."

Flint went on to explain everyone's roles for the time being and they all took their positions in the sky with ease. Harry gasped as he flew into the air twice as fast as he had just a few months prior due to his new broom. He'd never gotten to try it out yet and would need to adjust to it before the next official match. It was a smooth ride and it was certainly fun, but it really was faster than he'd been expecting.

"Uh... Are you okay?" Goyle asked confused from where he was hovering near him.

He nodded. "Yeah. Forget about it."

"You looked like you'd seen a scary kind of ghost," Goyle said with wide eyes.

Harry rolled his eyes. "No. I'm just not used to this kind of speed but give me five minutes and it'll be fine."

"Oh. Okay."

Sure enough, within a few minutes, after just flying around lazily on his broom, he began to adjust to the new speed dynamics and connect with the Firebolt. He soared fifty feet into the air and dropped quickly, pulling up at the last second, deciding to practice his Wronski Feint. It wouldn't do well to fail at it mid game if he had to perform one. People started cheering out and he grinned.

 _'Still got it,'_ he thought smugly.

"Potter, I'm letting the Snitch loose!" Flint yelled out. Harry nodded and the boy released the gold ball which immediately began zooming around the field at extreme speed.

He followed it's path with his eyes, seeing it hiding away in the distance and shot at it as fast as he could. He chased it for two minutes, going up and down, nearly hitting goalposts and the ground, narrowly missing Malfoy's head and getting a yell in the process and eventually caught it in his hand with a grin.

"That was fun!" he yelled out and threw the ball away, watching it zoom off. "Again?"

* * *

He was heading back to the common room to get changed into regular clothes when he ran into the Weasleys. Ron appeared to be screaming at a bush and the twins were grabbing his arms, holding him back.

"Ahem," Harry cleared his throat loudly. They all spun around to catch him standing there with amusement on his face. "Did the bush offend you, Ronald? Did it pollinate and give you the sneezes?"

Fred and George grinned slightly whilst Ron fumed. "Shut up! Don't make jokes, I'm not in the mood."

"Clearly."

"Hermione's stupid cat was in that bush and it was just meowing at me!" he snapped.

"Um... Isn't that what cats do? Or, is there a new upgraded version where they now bark like dogs? Because, that would be quite cool."

Ron clenched his fists. "No. It was meowing because it _knows_ it's going to piss me off. That thing can read my emotions or something. It likes to upset me. And, it's deliberately going out it's way to torment me and try to look cute and innocent even though it killed Scabbers!"

"Well, I hate Kneazles too and it would make sense if the cat ate your rat and he was mocking you about it," Harry shrugged.

Ron's eyes went wide. "You're agreeing with me?"

"No. I'm just not disagreeing."

"What?"

"Nevermind. Kneazles are pretty clever, as much as I'd hate to admit. And, they're sentient animals who can sense intent and feelings. You're right, he's probably deliberately doing it."

"But, why?" Ron yelled. "What did I do to deserve this? What did Scabbers do? He was a good rat!"

"Kneazles are dicks," he snorted. "That's why I'll never have one. I'm _way_ too good for them."

"Riiight..." Ron trailed off sarcastically. 

Harry went to turn around and walk away but stopped when he caught something shiny coming from the bush Ron was just yelling at. He frowned and blinked, swearing on his life that he could have seen a pair of bright eyes watching him. Perhaps it was Crookshanks, although it looked much larger than a cat's. What does he know, though? He's hardly ever around the thing because he despises it's existence. Perhaps it's grown larger. He doesn't have much time to dwell as it disappears as quickly as it comes, vanishing with a blink and shuffle of the bushes.

He looks around the bushes to see if the cat ran off but spots nothing. It must be pretty fast on it's paws.

He can't help the uneasy feeling that lingers momentarily, as if a minor feeling of dread was washing over him and somehow he felt as if he were in danger. 

_'Stupid Kneazle,'_ he thinks bitterly.

"Are you okay?" Fred asked with a slight worried look in his eye.

"Yeah, mate. You suddenly went all stiff and stared off into the bush, acting as if you'd seen one of your worst fears," George said.

Harry shook his head to clear it. "No, I'm fine. I can just smell the cat hair and it's gross." He cringed and walked backwards, away from them. "Sensitive smell. A blessing and a curse." He took off for the common room quickly and jumped in an ice cold shower as soon as he reached the bathrooms, letting the spray calm him down.

* * *

"I swear, no matter where I go or what I do these days, I always feel on edge. I feel like I'm complaining more than Ronald Weasley at this point," Harry sighed and sat on the cold ground miserably.

"Probably because you are," Silas raised an eyebrow. Harry glared at him. "Just being truthful. Look, you read that book _months_ ago. Are you certain that it's even accurate? It could have been written by a madman."

"Then there's a reason he would be mad!" Harry threw his hands up frustratedly. "That book cursed me, I never should have bought it."

"What makes you feel guaranteed that you are indeed cursed?"

"Well, for starters, all of this happened after I read it. Then, I moved into the Leakey Cauldron where my room number was an unlucky one and I broke a glass mirror. Don't laugh! Then, Trelawney makes that prediction in class, saying that the Death Omen is coming for me, coincidence? And, she made another prediction during the holidays and said I was still going to die."

"Trelawney is a crazy old witch," Silas said with a calm voice, clearly trying to be comforting. "You shouldn't believe anything she says. I doubt she's even a proper Seer, like she claims. What she says is rubbish, all of this is."

"Then how do you explain the Dementor's obsessions with me? They keep saying that _He's_ coming for me. What the hell does that mean? Because I think I read that somewhere!" he finally screamed, standing up and punching the vampire hard in his chest, letting out all his anger.

Silas didn't throw him off, he just stood there and endured the rather pathetic attempt at an assault until he calmed down.

"Are you quite done?" he asked after five minutes of taking a beating. Harry let out a shaky breath and nodded. "Good. Now, listen to me. If there is the slightest chance that this could be true then you don't have to worry. You're under my protection."

"You can't fight against a Dementor," Harry frowned.

"You don't know what I'm capable of, insolent child," Silas scolded him playfully. 

Harry smirked. "Okay, sorry."

"Now, how about you duel me again? Show me how much you've improved?" 

"Sure." Harry stood at the opposite end of the large platform in the Chamber, took up his usual duelling position and bowed at Silas, who did the same. They stared at each other for a minute, just examining each other and seeing who would make the first move.

Harry momentarily tried to use Legillimency on him to see what he had planned, but the man was a natural Occlumens and therefore it was no good.

He was forcibly shoved outside his head with a mental kick to the face, temporarily shocking him. Silas stood there grinning and looking smug, clearly pleased with himself.

Harry scoffed and fired a Stunning Hex to Silas who quickly jumped out the way. The man flicked his wrists and dust around him began to swirl in the air, twisting until it violently tugged at Harry's feet and caused him to lose his footing. 

He growled and got back up from where he'd fallen, Vanishing the dust and instead blowing up a stone statue near the vampire's head. Bits of rock caught him from behind and he went stumbling down to the ground with a loud groan. Harry chuckled at him.

Silas recovered quite quickly and jumped right back on his feet, speeding by him and bashing his shoulder into his roughly, causing Harry to yelp and skid across the ground. He glared and clutched at his sore shoulder, thankful it wasn't broken. 

He got back up and clenched his wand tightly, firing a Bone Breaker Curse at the man whilst aiming for his legs. He missed by a millimetre and huffed an annoyed breath. Silas then went to the table in the corner of the room where they had multiple weapons which he'd stolen and picked up a dagger, throwing it quickly at Harry.

He put up the strongest Shield Charm he could, just in time. It rebounded and clattered off the wall with a loud ring. He glared and pointed his wand to the table. "Accio sword!" Harry yelled and Godric Gryffindor's silver sword went flying into his hand. He smiled down at the large weapon and looked up at Silas with a fierce determination in his eyes. 

Without warning, he abandoned the use of his wand and clutched the sword with both hands, holding onto it with dear life as he ran straight at Silas and swung the weapon down on him. Silas raised his arm in self defence but the sharp blade sliced through his arm and deep red blood trickled out onto the floor.

He let out a loud yell of pain and Harry dropped the sword to the floor, panting and out of breath. "Are you okay?" he asked with wide eyes.

Silas let out a breathy chuckle as he tried to stop his arm bleeding. "Come on, Harrison. Is that all you've got?" he asked cheekily. "I will admit, you're getting better and your reflexes are much quicker."

"Well, thank you," Harry beamed. "Can I fix you up now? No offence, but your blood kind of reeks for my taste."

"Like you smell any better," Silas said with a glare.

"Meh," Harry shrugged and got his wand back out, performing some basic healing spells which closed the wound up.

"Thank you."

"Maybe next time, we can do it with less blood," Harry said. "Just a suggestion."

"But, where's the fun in that?" Silas said with a sadistic smirk that would have most people running. Harry just laughed and nodded in agreement.

* * *

It was the day of the Quidditch match and Harry and his team were ready to take down the Ravenclaws just as easily as the Gryffindors. They were out on the field and when he looked up to the stands, Harry saw all the lions booing his way and rolled his eyes.

 _'Sore losers,'_ he thought.

Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw Seeker was watching him from where she stood across the field and was grinning slightly. He raised an eyebrow at her, daring her to say something. She twirled a strand of hair between her fingers and batted her eyelashes at him, trying to look innocent.

He frowned and ignored her, focusing back on the team Captains shaking hands and Madam Hooch blowing her whistle, sending them off into the air.

When he was high in the sky, the game took off quite quickly and Lee Jordan immediately started his ridiculous commentary on his broom, getting a scolding from McGonagall, much to his amusement.

Harry didn't know how long he was flying for, only that he still hadn't caught sight of the Snitch yet and Cho was still hovering near him, suspiciously. He looked over at her later and she twirled her hair again, giving him a pretty smile. 

A thought suddenly came to him and he locked eyes with her, sneakily climbing inside her head and probing her thoughts. His suspicions were confirmed when he realised that she was trying to use her good looks to flirt with him and _seduce_ him during the game to win. How low. 

He cringed at her and broke free from her gaze, refusing to give her any more attention. Eventually, he managed to catch sight of the Snitch after what might have been about twenty minutes of flying around and soared straight for it.

She trailed right after him and kept up a good fight but his Firebolt was faster than her old Comet 260. The Snitch flew high in the sky and they both flew after it, going fifty, sixty, seventy feet high until it suddenly flew straight for the ground. Cho paused momentarily, clearly anxious about the large drop but Harry went down with no resistance, arm outstretched.

She followed after him with her own arm stretched out, reaching for the Snitch and her eyes went wide when she saw it wasn't stopping and he wasn't pulling up the closer they got to the ground. He looked over at her one last time and smirked at her cruelly, watching her face pale before he grabbed the Snitch and pulled up.

She was too slow, however, and crashed right into the ground before she could save herself. There was the sound of cheering from the Slytherin stands as Harry held the Snitch and the sound of cracking wood and possible bones from Cho below, along with hers and the rest of the Ravenclaw's groaning.

"Harry Potter has caught the Golden Snitch, again. One hundred and fifty points to Slytherin, I guess," Lee's voice mumbled grumpily. 

Harry was going to land back on the ground when he saw some mysterious black objects moving in the distance. He shivered slightly and flew a tad closer cautiously, seeing that they looked like the familiar long cloaked horrors from his nightmares. He grabbed his wand from his holster and yelled out,

"Expecto Patronum!" A bright flash came from his wand, brighter than before and shot out in the direction of the Dementors. He felt better, knowing that he could have taken care of it himself, that time. He mentally thanked Professor Lupin for his help and soared to the ground.

His team mates came and patted him on the back, congratulating him and Madam Hooch took the gold ball back whilst smiling at him. He looked over in the direction where there was screaming, thinking it was Cho and perhaps she really was badly injured - no that it was his fault - but instead it was McGonagall. She was screaming at what appeared to be a group of Ravenclaw kids who'd snuck on to the field during the game and dressed up in long black cloaks to scare Harry.

"Disgusting attempt at sabotage! Just you wait until Professor Flitwick gets over here, you'll be up to your necks in detention until the end of the school year!" she screeched.

"Why do you even care so much, Professor?" a boy named Terry Boot asked miserably. "He's not even on your team. He beat yours."

"And, evidently beat yours too, despite your pathetic display here. Do you know why that is? It's because he has talent and practises. How long did you practice _this_?" she asked icily.

Everyone was listening in with shock. It appeared for a moment that there really was another Dementor attack as they'd done a good job with their disguise, Harry will admit. It had caused him to use his wand so he couldn't lie and say he wasn't scared.

He was shocked that McGonagall was defending him so fiercely. He knew the woman cared about him, there was no ill nature in her heart. But, he's not used to people outright screaming over an entire Quidditch pitch like this, purely for his sake. It was both embarrassing and flattering.

Soon, Flitwick appeared and looked as livid as a three foot man could ever hope to be. "With me. Now!" he snapped to all four boys who took part in the scheming. They hurried back up to the castle, most likely to receive their punishments and Harry held in a laugh. Only the people who think they're so smart can be so dumb and end up getting their arses handed to them by a man who's more cute than scary.

He headed back to the common room with the rest of the team to take a shower and get dressed into his own clothes.

"That was hilarious," Malfoy snickered. "Did you see their faces? They looked so gutted when they got dragged back up to the castle by Flitwick."

"Do you think he'll really give them detention?" Goyle asked. 

"He better!" Flint barked. "They tried to sabotage our game because they knew they didn't stand a chance. They could have killed one of us."

"They could have killed Potter," Malfoy said, looking at him. "No offence, but your Boggart is a Dementor so you have the biggest risk factor of falling off your broom from a heart attack."

"And, yet here I stand," Harry said with a wide grin. "Looks like my wand came in handy, didn't it?"

"Was that a Patronus Charm you cast?" Bole asked sceptically.

"Yes. Did it look impressive?"

"Impressive? If they were real Dementors, they would have vanished all the way to the other side of the country," he said with wide eyes. "It was so bright."

"Where'd you learn to do that?" Malfoy asked curiously. 

"Just... practice," Harry shrugged. "Why? Do you want to learn one?"

Malfoy hummed. "I don't know. It seems like a lot of work but it is quite impressive. I'll let you know in the future."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." He leaned into his ear and whispered quietly. "Maybe you could teach me."

"Maybe," Harry mumbled back and entered the common room, running quickly for the bathroom to hop under the spray.

What was Malfoy playing at? Was this his way of trying to see how decent a wizard he is and if he had the capability to teach? Because, he would show him. He'd be a great teacher, it might be something he wants to pursue when he's older, who knows?

And, it wouldn't be bad for anyone to learn the spell. It comes in handy in many ways and if he does succeed, Harry could gain a favour from it. He puts that thought away for now before he starts getting brilliant ideas about starting some service to help students in need and then collect what he wants from them in the end.

 _'And you wonder why you were put in Slytherin?'_ the voice taunts.

Harry just rolls his eyes without disagreeing.

* * *

That night, the entirety of Slytherin House decided to have a celebration party in the dungeons. The loud noise was a little straining on Harry's ears but he otherwise enjoyed it. They ate snacks and practised spells until late at night.

Some time during the fun, Severus came in and made a speech.

"You are currently in the lead for the win of the Quidditch Cup. You now must beat Hufflepuff in your next match and it is yours, congratulations." Everyone started cheering and he waved a hand to settle them down. "You've gained a significant amount of House points these past few months and I'm impressed. If you keep up the good work, we may just win the Official House Cup, too." Everyone started clapping again and Severus gestured for Harry to follow him.

He led him to his office where they sat at his desk and he offered him some tea. Harry accepted it with a smile. 

"Thanks."

"Impressive Patronus Charm today," the man said amused. "You sure scared the life out of those children."

"I thought they were Dementors!" Harry said. "They looked like it from the distance."

"Yes, it was a pretty good disguise, as much as I hate to admit it," Severus said with distaste. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Now that I know they weren't real and we won the game, I'm feeling just fine. The only thing that will bring me pure joy is knowing that they will get punished," he glared.

"Do not worry about it. As sweet as Professor Flitwick usually is, do not underestimate him. He does not take pranks like this lightly, at all. You could have been seriously hurt and he is fuming. To think his own students did this? They're scrubbing his classroom from top to bottom for an entire month, with only a bucket of water and soapy sponges."

"Brilliant!" Harry smiled. "A bit like when you made your Potions class clean up Ron's toxic explosion," he giggled. "I'm just glad I finished quickly enough to get out of that one."

"Yes, it was quite horrific," Severus cringed. "My floors and walls were sizzling with the boy's acidic liquid he'd somehow managed to brew."

They both began to laugh immaturely at that, accidentally dripping tea on the table, despite them being two of the most mature and stoic people in the entire school.

Harry finished up his tea and was going to head back to the common room when McGonagall came running into Severus' classroom looking panicked. She was wearing a nightgown and hardly had any room for embarrassment when she started questioning them both.

"Severus, something terrible has happened! Where is Potter?" she said frantically, not noticing him at first. Harry raised his hand to get her attention and she let out a relieved breath, coming over and hugging him tightly. "Thank goodness."

"Um..." he said awkwardly.

"Minerva, what's going on?" Severus asked sternly.

She let him go and composed herself. "Oh, yes, right. There was a commotion coming from the Gryffindor Tower. Ronald Weasley was awoken from his sleep in a panic. He accused Sirius Black of being in the boy's dorm and standing over his bed with a knife. Of course, everyone thought he was having a bad dream but when they checked his curtains, they were torn to shreds!" she said nervously. "We asked one of the portraits if they've seen anything and unfortunately, one of them _admitted_ to letting Black in the tower."

"Why?" Harry gasped.

"Apparently, he had a whole weeks list of the passwords to the common room entrance. It turns out Longbottom had written them down on a piece of paper and then proceeded to drop it," she sighed irritably. 

"That foolish boy!" Severus snapped. "His memory is as weak as his Potioneering and magic skills. I don't know how he managed to even get his acceptance letter to this school."

"Let's not insult the students, shall we? Perhaps, we should be focusing on Black," McGonagall suggested.

"It's not an insult if it's true," Harry mumbled.

McGonagall just ignored him and went on. "Black must still think you are a Gryffindor and this was his perfect opportunity to get to you. Heaven only knows what could have happened if you were still up there," she trembled. "I had to make sure you were alright. You are, aren't you?"

Harry smiled at her. "I'm fine, don't worry. I've just come from the common room not too long ago. We're having a party to celebrate our winning. But, Professor Snape invited me back here to talk privately and have some tea."

"Well, at least I'm glad to know you're in safe hands. Why don't you head back to your dorm now? After all, it's getting late. Plus, I don't want Black finding you and trying something. Who knows where he is right now and what he's plotting? The last place he might suspect you to be is the dungeons, however. Severus, take him?"

Severus nodded and led him on the way back, McGonagall running quickly back where she came from. 

"Where do you think Black is right now? Still on the school grounds?" Harry asked with slight anxiety. 

"No. I doubt he'd stick around considering the Headmaster would put the place in lockdown like he did the last time. He would have taken off as soon as he realised you weren't there, believe me," he said comfortingly.

"Alright, I will." 

"Good."

Eventually, they reached the common room door where they said the password and entered. "I'll see you tomorrow?" he mumbled before he took off up the spiral staircase.

Severus nodded briefly before turning to the rest of the room and informing them on everything that happened with Sirius Black and his attempt at breaking into the Tower and attacking a student. This got a few shocked gasps from around the room and everything suddenly became a lot more tense. He instructed all of them to not leave the common room, wrap up the party and go to bed. They all mumbled grumpily but weren't willing to argue with their strict Head of House so did as told.

When Harry was in his bed, he snuggled up with Nessie who eyed him in concern. 

**"Something is troubling you, I can sense it,"** she hissed.

Harry sighed and put up a Silencing Charm around his bed curtains for privacy and nodded to her. **"There was an attack in the Gryffindor Tower. Sirius Black broke in and attacked Ron's bed. I'm not too sure why. Maybe, he thought it was my bed because he must think I'm a Gryffindor? Or, maybe he just wanted to hurt some random kid."**

 **"If I see this Sirius Black man, I'm going to bite him and sink all the venom I can produce into his rotten body,"** Nessie said cruelly, making him smile. 

**"That's my girl,"** he hissed back and stroked her head gently.

**"Anything for you, youngling."**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> I hope you enjoyed that mini duel scene between Harry and Silas. I've not done many of those, I've got to start writing more :D 
> 
> A little information on Silas, considering I haven't said much about his abilities in any chapters yet! He's not a wizard so he can't use a wand, however he has his own unique set of magical skills where he can vanish into the distance within seconds due to super speed, he's very strong and he can control elements such as fire, water and wind - the latter which makes it easier for him to trip someone up like a wizard tripping someone up with a hex. He's also good with the mind arts such as Occlumency.
> 
> He's lived for over 500 years and knows plenty of Wizarding spells and wand movements that he'll teach Harry, as well as understanding Apparation.
> 
> I'll probably discuss more about him in the next book, as he's going to be a BIG HELP with you know what in that one.


	20. Making Up And Breaking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fighting at breakfast, a mysterious book and sneaking out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a while because I've been really busy lately but I made up for it by making this chapter very long! This is the most words I've written in a chapter (10K). Hope you enjoy! 
> 
> Ps, I hope you make some good guesses on what the book is about because that's where things are about to get very interesting and build the plot up.

The next day, the entirety of the school was gushing over Ron at breakfast, jumping around the Gryffindor table and trying to take seats next to him, asking him about his near death experience, which he seemed all too happy to share.

He kept telling people with confidence how scared he was when he saw Black leering over him in the middle of the night with a sharp weapon and trying to cut his throat but instead he scared the man off with his bravery and he bolted out the castle before he could get caught. The only evidence he left behind was him accidentally slashing into his bed curtains when he jumped, which apparently nearly took Ron's eyes out.

The whole thing was absurd and ridiculous, Harry found it almost laughable as he listened in to the tripe. He had clearly spent all last night fabricating it perfectly, to make it seem like he was some big brave hero and would have an amazing story to tell people. It was a creative and sneaky way to get popularity, he'll admit.

He's quite glad the attention isn't on him for once, however. He's so used to people always looking straight at him when something goes wrong, as if things just happen to be his fault when they're not, that it's a nice change for everyone's eyes to be on someone else. He'll gladly let Ron take all this credit and gawking if he enjoys it so much, no matter how ludicrous and embarrassing it really is. 

The boy has no shame, it's quite sad.

Some people did bring his name into the conversation at times, asking why Black was in the Gryffindor Tower trying to attack Ron when he was most likely looking for Harry. It confused him too, considering the man could have easily thought he was a Gryffindor, it wasn't that far fetched. He was one and his parents were one. Plus, if Black was his godfather, wouldn't he expect him to go there? Lupin had.

If Black was in the Tower looking for him and came across Ron instead, he could have easily just killed the boy anyway. It would calm his blood thirst for the time being. He's a maniac, isn't he? Surely, he doesn't care about saving Ron's life or anything. Not that he's believing Ron's story of how he scared him away, that's hilarious. He briefly slipped into the boy's mind during breakfast when he looked over at him and caught sight of just how scared he really was and how all he truly did was scream in fear. That was proof enough for him to know he was full of dragon dung, but he'd be nice enough not to say anything.

_'So, if Black willingly ran away, what was the reason for it?'_ he thinks to himself sceptically. Something else must be going on and it's bothering him not understanding, but he's not a reckless fool and is going to try and look for answers. He's not insane, he doesn't have a deathwish. 

_'Perhaps, he didn't want to hurt your old friend,'_ the voice speaks up, startling him slightly.

_'Then why did Black attack him? He ruined his curtains, for Merlin's sake. I think he had pretty malicious intentions,'_ Harry mentally argues back whilst biting aggressively into his toast.

_'Maybe, it was an accident,'_ the voice suggests.

_'How could it possibly be an accident?'_ Harry asks incredulously.

_'He could have been looking for someone else...'_ the voice trails off.

_'Oh? You mean like me?'_ Harry says sarcastically. The voice remains strangely quiet and Harry lets out an irritable sigh, biting into his toast harshly again, tearing off a chunk.

"Whoa, what did the toasted bread do to you?" Blaise asked from where he sat across from him. Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "You were staring off into the distance for a couple of minutes and now you're attacking your poor breakfast."

Harry shrugged. "Just bored."

"Of what?" Malfoy asked curiously from where he was listening in.

"Listening to Ronald blabber on about his incredible experience with Sirius Black," Harry muttered. "Can't he give it a rest? Nobody over here cares."

There were murmurs of agreement and then Malfoy shouted out towards the Gryffindor table.

"Do you hear that, Weasley? Nobody over at this table cares about your near death experience. You're bumming us all out," he rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Shut your face, Malfoy!" Ron yelled back, gathering the attention of multiple students. "You probably wish he got me, don't you?"

"Honestly? It wouldn't have bothered me in the slightest," the boy smirked cruelly. "One less ginger Weasley to worry about. That just means your mother can afford more food for the rest of your lot. Why don't you go do your family a favour and just drop to the floor?" There were a collection of gasps but Malfoy just continued on. "In fact, why don't you go look for Black and see if he'll reenact what happened in your dorm again, but this time he'll get you. How kind it would be of you to go offer yourself up as bait."

"How dare you!" Ron yelled and tried jumping across the table, only to have his brothers holding him back and some of the Gryffindor boys standing between the tables, glaring hatefully. "Don't you dare talk about my family that way, you slimy snake."

Everyone at the table let out snarky hisses and the Gryffindors recoiled. "What? I'm just being truthful. It's not a big deal. That way you can join your sister in the afterlife, if that's where she's rot-"

Malfoy never got to finish his sentence as Ron started screaming and thrashing, jumping at Malfoy again who had gotten up from his seat and grabbed his wand, aiming it at Ron's face. Harry sighed tiredly, irritated by the confrontation. He was annoyed at Malfoy for saying what he did to Ron - it was quite cruel and insensitive, although he'd be a hypocrite if he scolded him for it as he's said quite nasty things to Ron like that in the past. He was also annoyed at Ron for rising to the bait and edging him on - if he'd just ignored him, it wouldn't have escalate to a near brawl and the teachers wouldn't have had to come running in, looking furious.

"What on Earth is going on here?" Professor McGonagall demanded, looking stern.

"He started it!" Ron said, pointing to Malfoy. "He insulted me and my family."

"Is this true, Mr Malfoy?" McGonagall narrowed her eyes.

Malfoy did his best to look innocent. "No, Professor. I was just telling Weasley to stop talking about Sirius Black because it was making all of us feel somewhat anxious over here and then he started freaking out. I think the stress has gotten to him, although I can't necessarily blame him," he shrugged.

"You liar!" Ron yelled. Everyone started jumping in on his defence, making Malfoy glare angrily.

"Enough!" McGonagall shouted to them all. "Clearly, one of you is lying-"

"It's him!" Ron and Malfoy shouted in unison, pointing to each other.

"-and this behaviour won't be tolerated. Fighting in the middle of the Great Hall during meal times? I honestly expected better from the both of you," she scolded. "Fifteen points will be taken from your House, each."

"But-"

"No buts, Mr Weasley," she said sternly. "Be glad I'm not issuing more punishment." 

Ron nodded weakly and sighed as she walked off with the rest of the teachers. He turned to Malfoy and glared, muttering under his breath. "I hate you so much. This was all your fault."

Malfoy shrugged with a small grin. "Eh. At least I'm not the one Black is trying to kill."

Ron turned red and looked to Harry. "Aren't you going to say something?"

"Um... Like what?" Harry asked in confusion.

Ron threw his hands up. "Tell him to cut it out!" he grit out.

"You cut it out," Harry rolled his eyes and ripped his cold toast apart again. "So bloody annoying."

"You're just going to let him get away with talking to me like that then?" Ron asked with a frown. "You're not going to defend me? What kind of friend are you supposed to be?"

"Excuse me, Weasley, but I don't think you're Potter's friend anymore. No, he's _our_ friend now, not yours," Malfoy sneered. "So, why don't you just go crawl back to your hovel?"

"Piss off," Ron spat and stormed off out the hall. Harry frowned at his retreating back, feeling an awkward sense of something he didn't like rise up within his stomach. It twisted painfully and made him feel nauseous, so much so that he could no longer eat the rest of his toast. He threw it down on the plate and sighed miserably, looking to Malfoy and clenching his fists in agitation when he saw his smug face.

_'What's wrong with me? Why am I feeling like this? I shouldn't care about Ron's stupid feelings. The git deserved it,'_ he thought bitterly.

_'Did he, though?'_ the voice piped up.

_'No. No, he didn't,'_ Harry thought with slight guilt. The least he could have done during the altercation was told Malfoy to cool down but his self preservation and irritability kicked in and he took it out on Ron instead, when really it was Malfoy who deserved to be knocked down several pegs right now. Harry knew this and yet he acted like a prat and let Ron's family get disgraced so savagely. 

He's never particularly cared for the Weasley girl but he doesn't think it's right for her memory to be tarnished like that. He doesn't think it's morally right for someone to make fun of the dead. He vows to fix the situation as best he can whenever he can.

* * *

Later that day, Harry was in his dorm alone brainstorming, thinking about how he could get his revenge on Malfoy for the stunt he pulled earlier. He knows he doesn't owe anything to Ron by doing this but it would certainly ease his guilty conscious if he at least attempted to defend the boy in some minor way. After all, if the situation were reversed, he'd expect the same treatment. He looked towards the blonde boy's bed and grinned, getting out his wand and jinxing it to explode with multiple spiders as soon as he sat on it.

**"Inappropriate enough?"** he asked Nessie.

**"No, I think it's very appropriate,"** she said delightedly. **"I can't wait to hear those girlish screams."**

Harry snorted and nodded in agreement. 

**"Me too. Let's just hope he wets himself,"** Harry said hopefully.

**"That's both disgusting and hilarious,"** Nessie hissed amused. 

* * *

"So, what was that about earlier?" Severus asked Harry as they brewed some potions together in his classroom. 

"What was what?" Harry asked innocently, whilst stirring the ingredients in the cauldron.

Severus glowered at him. "Are you really trying to play dumb? It doesn't suit you. You know I mean the incident in the Great Hall this morning which apparently caused major drama. I wasn't there because I was grading papers but I'd like you to tell me the truth as I've only heard Minerva's side to the story and sure enough, Mr Malfoy's might be completely different if I ask him."

"Fine," Harry sighed. "Ron and Malfoy got into an argument over breakfast, that's all. Malfoy started it, though. He shouted over to Ron and told him to stop talking about Black, then insulted his family. Ron started screaming back and swearing then tried to use brutality. One thing led to another," Harry shrugged awkwardly and flapped his hand, "and then some teachers came running."

"What was your involvement during this ordeal? I heard Weasley was talking to you?"

Harry shrugged. "He wanted me to jump in and defend him but I stayed out of it. It wasn't my fight, why should I get involved and get into trouble?" he asked genuinely.

Severus nodded firmly. "Very good, well done. You made the correct choice in doing so, even if your friend may act hostile towards you for it."

"Pfft. Ron's been hostile for months now, I'm used to it," Harry rolled his eyes.

Severus pursed his lips and opened his mouth to say something again but then snapped it shut, going back to his potion. Harry was quite glad as he didn't want the man to start being awkward and try to offer advice on friendship and how to rekindle things. Does Severus even have his own friends? What advice could he possibly give him? He's just as lonely as him.

Harry feels he doesn't need friends, he's just fine on his own. He has Severus and Silas who teach him things he needs to know in order to get through life and he has Nessie by his side as his forever loyal companion. That's all the company he requires because it's his essentials and something that's important to him. Everything and everyone else is unimportant and he'd hardly shed tears if someone got hurt.

He decides to change the topic of conversation as he doesn't fancy standing around in awkward silence with Severus like this whilst the man debates inside his own head how he should probably try to help Harry, when in actual fact he doesn't want it.

"Hey Sev, since Black is still on the loose and he actually managed to get into the Tower, what's the protocol for this sort of thing? The last time we all got together for a massive sleepover in the Great Hall," he suggested. "Will that be happening again? Because as _fun_ as that was, I'd much rather sleep in my bed. Too many kids whispering throughout the night and my super sensitive hearing picks up everything," he said sarcastically.

Severus shook his head with a slight smirk. "No more sleepovers, don't worry. Actually, the Headmaster and some of the teachers are setting up some traps and spells on the entrances and exits all over the castle. Windows, doors, hallways, even secret passageways that Filch knows about. They're all being magically manipulated with strong barriers and shields," he said confidently. 

"Oh, okay. That's good then," Harry said. He didn't bother to ask which exact secret passageways he was talking about in case the man thought he was either trying to figure out a way to sneak out the castle and scold him for it, or if he would be clever enough to realise that he already knew of them and was curious if he was talking about the same ones - which he'd most likely get into trouble for, if the man figured out he'd been using these passages to sneak out the school.

He had the Marauder's Map in his bedside table tucked firmly away and had only used it once before but it was still something he treasured dearly and wouldn't let anyone else get their hands on it, especially considering it had the layout of so many secret corridors and tunnels in the school that he had yet to try. He doubts Black even knows of any of it so he's in safe hands, therefore he won't bother telling anyone.

"Why don't you finish up that potion and if it's any good, I'll see if you're capable of gaining Slytherin back those House points Mr Malfoy lost," Severus said with a grin. 

"Alright," Harry agreed and quickly completed his potion with expertise, smiling happily at the end result. He poured out the liquid into vials and handed them to Severus who examined them thoroughly.

"Hmm, well done. You've managed to successfully brew some Pepperup Potion. Madam Pomfrey will certinally be pleased with the result," Severus said proudly. "Five points to Slytherin for your accuracy, another five for cleanliness and another five for time keeping."

Harry beamed and smiled to himself. "Thanks," he said. 

"Uh-huh. And Harry? Do try to stay safe and keep out of trouble," Severus told him as he began packing his things away and turning to leave. "I'd hate for something to happen to you."

"Yeah, me too. Obviously," Harry laughed lightly and eventually left.

* * *

After lunch, Malfoy headed back to his dorm to get some light reading material from his bedside table to keep him occupied as he was bored. When he reached his bed however and sat down on it, he gasped as hundreds of big black spiders crawled out underneath his duvet and pillows, chasing after him. He screamed bloody murder and threw his books to the floor, running out the dormitory and down the spiral staircase into the common room in a panic, the spiders still chasing after him. 

He ignored everyone's stares and yells and tried to run away from the creepy crawlies as quickly as he could but to no avail - no matter how fast he ran and wherever he ran, they still followed him at a quick pace. He heard some of the upper year Slytherin Prefects casting curses at the spiders, clearly trying to kill them and some other students throwing books at them but he shouted the password to the exit of the common room and ran out, looking for Professor Snape.

Surely, the man would know what to do in a crisis like this. He ran straight for his classroom, not paying any attention to the other students in the hallways who were eyeing him with a mixture of amusement and worry then pounded on the door, throwing it open without care for any consequences and slammed the door shut behind himself.

"Sir, help me!" Malfoy yelled.

"Mr Malfoy, what's happening? Are you hurt?" Professor Snape asked with a frown, coming over to him.

"N-no... but, I'm going to be!" he stuttered, looking towards the door where some of the spiders were crawling under. "They won't leave me alone!" he whimpered. "Do something!"

Professor Snape looked towards the door where the spiders were creeping through and sighed. "Stay back," he said in a monotone voice, as if he were bored. He whipped out his wand and cast a quick spell he didn't recognise then suddenly, all the spiders were gone. "There. Now you can relax."

"T-thank you. How did you do that?" Malfoy said shakily. "They were trying to _kill_ me."

Professor Snape pursed his lips. "They would hardly be able to do such a thing as they weren't even real, Mr Malfoy. Don't you pay any attention in Charms class? They were a simple spell, not real. That's why they were able to follow you so quickly, no real spiders could do that unless they were an Acromantula, for example."

"Oh..." Malfoy mumbled. "Then, why was there a bunch of charmed spiders chasing after me?"

"Hmm. Yes, I wonder that too. Tell me, what were you doing before this happened?" Professor Snape asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I was just going to my dorm to collect some books to read. Everything was fine until I sat on my bed," Malfoy frowned. "Then it exploded with spiders! Everyone tried helping but nothing worked, so I just came here. It was horrible."

"Yes, do spare me the dramatics. I saw how traumatised you were, but I believe you'll survive," Professor Snape said with a roll of his eyes making Malfoy huff. "It sounds like someone was childishly trying to prank you, I'd say."

"What?!" Malfoy yelled angrily. "Me? Who do they think they are? Malfoy's don't get played like this. Just wait until my father-"

"Yes, yes. I know you'd love to tell him everything," Professor Snape snapped. "But, unfortunately we can't tell him things that we have little to no information on."

"Then we find out who did it!"

"I will find out," Professor Snape glared. "You will remain wisely quiet, sit back and stay out of trouble if you can manage that. Understand?"

Malfoy nodded grumpily. "Fine."

"Hmm. Go on, get back to your books."

Malfoy let out a breath and left the classroom in a huff, leaving Severus alone with a feeling of anxiety washing over him. 

He couldn't be one hundred percent sure, he'd need to get proof, but he had that nagging feeling in the back of his head that he knew who did it and he was furious. He told the boy to stay out of trouble. But did he listen? No, it seems he didn't. 

He had to admit though, it was a pretty creative prank. The only reason how he recognised it so easily was because he used that one frequently at his age, himself. Deep down, he feels proud.

* * *

Within a couple of hours, the news of Malfoy's attack from the spiders had spread around the school and everyone was talking about it. At first, the boy took advantage of it, thinking he had finally got the upper hand over Ron and had some traumatic story to tell of his own that would have everyone listening in to him and hanging on his every word. 

But soon enough, he realised that everyone was interested in the story because they thought it was hilarious and were making fun of him, not viewing him as some victim who needed sympathy. This just made Malfoy furious and Harry found the whole thing brilliant as that meant his plan had worked.

That was until Severus pulled him aside into his office and started questioning him.

"Do you know anything about the spider incident involving Mr Malfoy?"

Harry hummed thoughtfully. "I know just as much as everyone else does, at this point. He was attacked by a bunch of fake spiders and chased through the halls."

Severus narrowed his eyes. "Anything else?"

"Oh, yes. I believe he came to you for some help, am I right?"

Severus nodded sharply. "Yes, he did. And whilst he was here, he demanded that the culprit for the childish prank be caught, because sure enough, he's going to be telling his father about it."

"Oh. He is?" Harry asked hesitantly. Severus smiled grimly and watched as he gulped.

"Yes, he is indeed. And do you know why? It's because Mr Malfoy is currently being made a mockery in front of the entire school and isn't too pleased about that. He wants to tell his father, a man who has a lot of power and reputation, and get this person punished for what they've done. Clearly, the person who thought it was such a brilliant idea to set a trap on his bed didn't think about the repercussions, did they?"

"Obviously not," Harry mumbled. "But, like it matters! I doubt anyone is going to confess to anything, so there's no need to be so crabby. Just let it go and everything will be fine," he chuckled weakly.

"It's not that easy. Whoever did it," he glared at Harry heatedly, "would suffer major backlash if they were to ever mention this to anyone and get caught. Draco and Lucius Malfoy will not stand for public humiliation like this, you know what they're like. They're too prideful."

"I know!" Harry exclaimed, rolling his eyes. "Believe me, I'm all too familiar with that family."

"Well then, I'm only going to ask you this once and I _will_ know if you're lying," Severus said firmly. Harry shifted uneasily on the spot and nodded slowly. "Did you have anything to do with the prank on Malfoy?"

Harry took in a deep breath and licked his lips, remaining silent. For a second, Severus was sure he was going to lie to him and say no, which he would hate to admit would actually break his heart a little, but instead the boy did the right thing and nodded his head, looking slightly guilty.

"Did you do it all yourself or have help?" he carried on asking.

"It was just me," Harry sighed. "I planned it earlier today with Nessie. She thought it was pretty amusing." Severus raised an eyebrow and he elaborated. "Malfoy said vulgar things about Ron's family and his sister, who's _dead_. I know I'm not really friends with him anymore but even I know that's just not right," he cringed. "And, I didn't do anything at the time to step in and help. So, I figured he deserved a little payback."

Severus rubbed his eyes and let out a long sigh. "What am I going to do with you?" he muttered under his breath.

"I'm not in too much trouble, am I?" Harry asked nervously. Severus just shook his head. "I didn't plan on anyone questioning me and I don't want Malfoy breathing down my neck. He won't know it was me, will he? I left no clues behind, I'm very self preserved that way. I always clean up after myself, it's why I'm such a good Potioneer."

"Relax, I told Mr Malfoy to not look into this and stay out of it. I said I would be the one to investigate the matter. And now that I know it's you," Severus pursed his lips, "I suppose I shall just have to come up with a pretty decent lie myself as to how his bed exploded with eight legged bugs."

"What?" Harry asked. 

"You didn't think I was going to tell on you?" Severus said stunned. "Just because I'm a teacher."

"Well, I thought-"

"Remember who we're dealing with, Harry. There's a time and a place for the truth. In this classroom, it's the perfect time. In front of the Malfoys, the worst possible time," he informed him with a stern look.

"Are you actually telling me that you agree lying is okay?" Harry blinked.

"When the time calls for it," Severus nodded. 

Harry pouted and let the words sink in his head. It was one of the strangest pieces of advice he'd received from an adult, something he didn't expect he'd ever get told, yet it was strangely true. And somehow, he found himself unable to truly listen to the advice considering he was a person who did the complete opposite and lied whenever he could, just because he could.

That's something he wouldn't say out loud, though.

* * *

By dinner time, Malfoy didn't want to come out of the common room, too humiliated by the looks and comments he was getting from everyone. Crabbe and Goyle promised to bring him food from the kitchens once they'd finished their own dinner and Harry was glad for the momentary silence they could all have at the table for the time being, without the boy's whiny voice chattering away.

He ate peacefully and took part in some pleasant conversation with others at the table, nibbling on his chicken and trying his best to be tidy and polite. Much to his surprise, a piece of paper charmed in the shape of a bird flew down onto the table and landed in front of him. He picked it up and opened it's wings, reading the contents inside.

> _Meet me in the hall, it's important_
> 
> _Don't tell anyone else_
> 
> _**Ron Weasley** _

Harry frowned down at the letter and scrunched it up, tucking it away in his pocket. He looked over his shoulder and noticed Ron sneaking out the hall then sighed to himself, standing up.

"Excuse me for a moment," he mumbled and walked off quickly. When he reached the hallway, he noticed Ron hiding away in an alcove and scoffed. "Weasley. Weasley! Ron, what the hell are you doing?" he snapped.

Ron poked his head out and gestured him over quickly. "Where's Malfoy?" he asked sceptically. 

Harry shrugged. "How should I know? I'm not his caretaker."

"Pfft. Well, you spend lots of time with him these days so I'd assume you'd know where he'd be," Ron muttered. 

"It can't be helped," Harry glowered. "He's in the common room, if you really must know. Sulking."

"Because of the whole spider incident earlier?"

"Be glad it wasn't you," Harry snorted. 

"I am!" Ron said with wide eyes. "I would have had a heart attack, ugh..." he shuddered.

"It sure was horrible," Harry agreed. "But, hilarious at the same time," he chuckled lightly. "Although, I didn't say that."

Ron bit his lip and twisted his fingers awkwardly. "Um, okay."

"Why'd you invite me out here, Ron? I don't fancy standing around and gossiping like an old hag."

Ron rolled his eyes and scratched the back of his head. "Alright, fine. I just wanted to know if you... y'know. If you had anything to do with, you know..."

"Oh, spit it out already!"

Ron threw his hands up in frustration and turned red. "I wanted to know if you had anything to do with what happened to Malfoy, okay?" he whisper shouted. "Because, I didn't believe it at all, at first, but then my brothers started talking to me and they're cleverer than people give them credit for and they made some good points and said this might be something you'd do?" he raised an eyebrow. "Then Hermione butted in with her stupid frizzy head and agreed with them both," he grumbled. "They all said I should come talk to you and if I didn't they'd figure out what the spell was and use it against me."

Harry laughed at that and mentally congratulated all three of the Gryffindors for their sheer nerve. 

"Fair enough."

"So? Did you have anything to do with it?" Ron accused with crossed arms.

Harry got out his wand and dragged Ron deeper into the alcove so they were perfectly hidden, then cast a strong Silencing Charm. "Okay, yes. I was the one who cast the charm on Malfoy's bed." Ron's eye went wide and he gasped. "But, the git deserved it, okay? And don't you think about ratting me out or I swear I'll use that spell on you right now. I don't even care if your Boggart is spiders," Harry threatened. 

"I-I won't," Ron muttered. "I just can't believe this. I didn't want to. Why? Why did you sabotage your own Housemate like that?" he raised a curious eyebrow.

"Sabotage is such a dramatic word," Harry curled his lip. "It was merely a harmless prank."

"Alright, fine. Why did you merely prank your Housemate harmlessly like that, then?"

"Haha, very funny," Harry smiled sarcastically. "He took things too far and needed to be knocked down a peg. Nobody was doing it so I took the matters into my own hands."

"Even though you're both Slytherins?"

"It just means I don't get caught," Harry smiled devilishly.

"Even though it was because he was insulting _my_ family?" Ron looked shocked.

Harry shrugged. "Like I said, it was too far. I know that. He shouldn't have said what he did about your sister. That wasn't cool," he mumbled. 

"Damn right it wasn't," Ron grit out. They both looked at each other for a moment and said nothing, just focusing on their breathing and attempting to calm down. Eventually, after a minute Ron sighed. "Well, thanks. I wish I'd seen it in person but it's still funny to hear the stories."

Harry gave a weak smile back and nodded. "Of course. Glad to help."

What shocked him most was that it wasn't even a lie, it was the honest truth.

He headed back into the hall and sat back at his seat, ignoring the feeling of Ron's eyes burning into him from where he still stood near the doorway watching him.

"Potter," Daphne said as he began eating again, "where were you?"

"Bathroom," he said simply. 

"As long as it wasn't Moaning Myrtle's bathroom," she cringed. "You'll get a massive headache, believe me. I've been in there before and I swear by Merlin's saggy tits, that ghost does not stop crying, does she?" she exclaimed, looking around at everyone who shook their heads.

Harry grinned. He understood all too well, considering he had to sneak past her all the time in her bathroom in order to get into the Chamber of Secrets.

"Can we please stop talking about bathrooms and tits during dinner? I'm getting put off my food," Theo said with repulsion, clearly holding back a gag.

Instead, everyone proceeded to burst into giggles.

* * *

A couple of days later, everything had mellowed out and more or less went back to normal. 

He kept to himself and hardly looked over at both Malfoy or Ron when in classes or the Great Hall due to his own awkwardness. 

Instead, he kept himself busy in the library and studied up on his homework, making sure to get the best grades he could possibly get and prove to Hermione that he was indeed capable of beating her, yet again. 

He was still a little confused on how she was actually managing her own time keeping with her own classes but never bothered to sit down and ask her about her plans, considering he was hoping she'd fall behind into a weepy lump and fail everything. 

He was browsing through a secluded area in the library looking for something to catch his eye when he noticed an old dusty, leather book sitting alone on a stand. It looked like it hadn't been touched in a long time and he walked over to it to take a closer look. He ran his hand over the front of the book, cringing at the dust which gathered there.

The leather book had intricate silver patterns on the front in a very floral and feminine display, encrusted with beautiful blue diamonds, and bang in the middle was sparkling shiny silver carved in the shape of a skull.

On the side of the book, it was locked together with a silver padlock and another diamond. The whole thing was stunning. He picked it up and it felt surprisingly heavy in his hand to hold. He wondered what was inside but there wasn't any description on the book and there wasn't any key left around to open it. 

He thought about asking Madam Pince about the book but something seemed to radiate from the pages - a powerful surge of magic seeping outwards towards him and pulling him to it, telling him to keep it close and tight and not tell anyone else. He felt like there was something important in this book that he had to get his hands on and checked over his shoulders to make sure nobody was watching before quickly slipping the book in his robe pocket sneakily, heading out the library with yet another stolen item for his collection. The librarian would be so mad with him if she were to ever find out.

He hardly cares, though. He had to get this book to safety where only he could have access to it. He had to protect it and figure out a way to get _inside_. Surely, if there's no key then he could just use magic. Or perhaps, he could try picking the lock with a safety pin. Muggle techniques aren't so out of fashion. If those ideas don't work, he'll even try using a hammer if he has to. The desperate need for answers builds up in him with fury.

He heads back to his dorm at a quick pace and is relieved to find it empty, apart from Nessie who was lounging on his bed lazily. He locks the door behind himself and opens his bedside drawer, getting out some parchment and a quill. He writes a quick letter to Silas explaining the book and his feelings towards it, asking to meet up whenever he's available. If anyone was trustworthy enough and bound to know something of the unexplainable, it was the vampire. 

He tucks the letter into his pocket and shuts the drawer with the strange book locked away inside, then quickly runs back to the Owlery, giving Hedwig a gentle pat on her soft white feathers before sending her off with the message.

* * *

Harry received a letter later on in the day from Hedwig and was quick to smile and hand her a piece of sausage from his plate as he picked up his letter. He expected it to be a reply from Silas and was going to excuse himself from the lunch table to read it when he noticed the messy handwriting on the front of the parchment. It was his name scribbled down clumsily, with smudged fingerprints left behind from where ink had spilled. It read,

> _Dear Harry,_
> 
> _How 'bout you come 'round and have tea with me this afternoon 'round six? I'll come collect you from the castle. Best to wait for me in the entrance hall, you're not allowed out on your own, it's dangerous. Cheers,_
> 
> _**Hagrid** _

Harry frowned when he realised it was the half giant man writing to him. What does he even want with him? They hardly talk these days, what could the man want to meet with him for? He puts the letter away in his pocket and resumes eating quickly, stomach rumbling from hunger. He looks over his shoulder and sees Hagrid has already left the room, clearly down in his house and probably preparing his tea. He also notices Ron reading a piece of paper and smiling, then quickly looks away before he's spotted. He doesn't have time for him - he has to figure out what Hagrid wants.

Sooner than he would have liked, another full moon will be coming up and he's feeling the beginning signs deep within his bones. The constant twitching and scratching of his skin around his facials scars, especially towards night time. The excess irritability, tiredness and hunger pains.

It's always so overwhelming. He'd image he'd be used to it by now, but after all these years, he's not. It doesn't get easier, it's just always a prolonged and miserable agony. He vows to grow up and get a Potions Mastery then try his very best to create a cure for this awful disease.

It couldn't hurt to go see Hagrid. The man was nice and understood him and his needs as a magical creature, considering he loves to take care of them. Sure, he hasn't been the best teacher this year but if Buckbeak does receive punishment for what he's done, Harry will put it all behind him.

He finishes up his dinner and heads back to the dungeons alone, wishing to speak with Nessie about the situation. When he's finally in his dorm, he sits on his bed and casts a Silencing Charm on the curtains before speaking to her.

**"Hey, girl. How was your rat?"** he asked, stroking her scales gently.

**"Delicious. It squirmed delightfully in pain as I injected my venom into it's fragile body,"** she said happily. **"And then it died. So I ate it."**

Harry blinked in surprise, not expecting that answer. He was apprehensive about what else she'd tell him and hardly wanted to find out. **"Well... that's just wonderful,"** he smiled awkwardly and continued to stroke her. **"I'm glad you had fun."**

**"Oh, yes,"** she hissed happily. **"I do wonder where your orange haired human's rat companion has gone, though. It has been gone for a long time now. Not that I'm complaining. That thing was stinky,"** she cringed.

**"You mean Scabbers?"** he asked. **"Ron seems to think Crookshanks ate him but I know that cat wouldn't dare touch that rat. If you won't and I won't, why would he?"**

**"Then where is this Scabby rat? I don't want to eat him but it will be fun to go chase,"** she said in amusement.

Harry hummed in thought. **"I really don't know. He might just be scared of the Kneazle and have run off hiding somewhere. Or perhaps, Black stole him when he got into the Gryffindor Tower,"** he laughed. 

**"Why would he do that?"** Nessie asked, smacking him lightly with her tail. 

**"It can get lonely in Azkaban, he must just want some companionship,"** he joked. Nessie shook her head at him. **"Well, anyway,"** he switched the topics hurriedly, **"I wanted to ask you about something."**

**"Ask away."**

**"Hagrid wants me to come to his house later for tea. Me, of all people. What do you think that's about?"** he asked sceptically. 

**"Off the top of my scales, I'd say... he must just want some companionship too,"** she joked back. 

Harry huffed in defeat. **"I'm serious, Ness! He's always wanting to talk with Ron and Hermione. He stopped trying to willingly ask to hang out with me years ago because I think he got the message that I wasn't interested. It was always those two dragging me along,"** he rolled his eyes. **"So, what's this about? Do you think it has something to do with Buckbeak?"**

**"If it is, just remember, you're the victim. That disgusting bird is the reason you ended up in the hospital. If anyone deserves to be in trouble, it's the bird and it's stupid owner for not getting it under control,"** she said heatedly. 

**"Thanks, girl. You're right, I'll go see him then."**

**"Would you like me to come with you?"** she offered. **"I can provide protection in case the bird wants to kill you again."**

**"I don't think Buckbeak will try to do anything. Once was enough,"** he mumbled.

**"Are you sure? Doesn't he keep the bird inside his house because it's cold? Do you really think he'll send it outside just because you're going in? That man isn't the smartest..."** she trailed off and slithered closer to him. He sighed and nodded in agreement, making her hiss happily and wrap around his shoulders. **"I knew you'd come around. You can't go anywhere without me, I'm your protector,"** she licked his ear.

He cringed away and giggled. He supposes it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to have Nessie there. It would do good for her to have some more outdoor time now that the winter chill was slowly beginning to melt. He would just have to put a very strong Notice Me Not Charm on her when they went to Hagrid's so that the man and that damn bird didn't sense her presence. 

He really wouldn't hesitate to let Nessie kill the thing if she had to. Damn what Hagrid said and how he felt.

* * *

Eventually, he heads down to the meeting point with his serpent hidden underneath his robes and sees Hagrid standing in the hallway with a big smile on his face.

"Hiya, Harry!" he bellowed out.

"Hagrid, hello," he smiles back halfheartedly. "I suppose you're waiting for me."

The large man chuckled. "That's right, wouldn't want ter leave you all alone wanderin' the halls, would I? Ter be honest, I didn't think you'd actually want ter show up but I'm glad you did," he smiled. Harry felt a tad guilty but immediately shoved it away and scolded himself. 

"Well, evidently I did show up. So, shall we go to your house now?" Harry said and put on a sweet smile. "You did promise me tea."

Hagrid nodded and grinned. "I do make a sweet cup of tea. We just gotta wait for someone ter get here first, then we can go."

"Who?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. "You invited me."

"Well, yeah. Abou' that...." the man scratched his beard awkwardly.

"Hagrid!" Ron's voice jumped in and Harry's stomach dropped. He turned to face the ginger boy with narrowed eyes, who just gaped and stared back.

"What are you doing here?" Harry demanded.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Ron snapped.

"I asked you first," Harry said.

"Hagrid invited me for tea," Ron crossed his arms over his chest. "Now you."

"Hagrid also invited me for tea, didn't you?" he turned to the man who nodded sheepishly. "That's why I'm standing here."

"Well, I'm not going to spend my evening hanging out with the likes of you," Ron said bitterly. 

"Boys-"

"That's fine," Harry interrupted Hagrid. "Seeing as I was the one who chose to show up first, you can bog off and leave us both alone. Let's go, Hagrid."

"You can't do that! You don't even care about-"

"Don't finish that sentence, Ronald. That would be so unwise and nasty of you," Harry glared.

Hagrid let out a deep sigh. "Both of you, stop it, okay? I invited you here for a reason!" Both boys raised their eyebrows in curiosity. "You two weren't really talkin' to each other, so I figured I'd just invite you separately and we'd all meet up together and hopefully, you wouldn't mind puttin' up with each other for a while, whilst I explain some things ter you."

"What kind of things?" Harry asked.

"Come with me," Hagrid said and led them in the direction of his house. Harry and Ron remained silent on the journey there, throwing the occasional sneer at each other childishly. To think, Harry defended his honour against that brat Malfoy and this is how he gets repaid? With mockery and insults. 

When they reached the hut, they were let inside and sat down at the table. Hagrid began pouring them tea and Harry heard some shuffling coming from the back of the hut, much like he expected. He tuned in his hearing and heard the clicking of hooves on the floor and ruffling of feathers on the bed. Hagrid was still keeping Buckbeak hiding away inside his house.

He felt Nessie shift underneath his robes, clearly as uncomfortable and agitated as him and laid a gentle reassuring hand over her body discreetly to calm her.

"Here ye go," Hagrid said as he handed them some rock cakes. Harry and Ron smiled politely but otherwise ignored the hard lumps of inedible food.

"What's that fancy uniform for?" Ron asked, pointing to the bright suit hung on the door. 

"Oh, that's fer going to the Ministry on Friday. Buckbeak has his case and I have to attend, remember? I have to make a good impression on the Committee fer the Disposal o' Dangerous Creatures with him and prove he's a good Hippogriff. I dread to think what'll happen if they don't believe me," he mumbled.

Harry desperately had to keep his mouth shut from blurting out how it had attacked two students and that was hardly a good Hippogriff but he didn't want to start a fight. He clenched his fists hard until they shook.

"Everything will be fine, Hagrid. Don't worry about it," Ron said confidently. "So, there was... a little accident in class. It happens. Have you ever been in Professor Flitwick's class? Me and Seamus have blown up so many things, I'm surprised the school is still standing. And have you ever been in Snape's class? Neville's created so many deadly poisons by accident that he could almost be mistaken for a serial killer," he laughed, getting a chuckle from the man.

Harry just rolled his eyes quietly, not daring to speak up and say that Neville hardly created poisons, it was just potion mishaps and would give you stomach aches. Whereas, he has literally created poison and has variations of different poisons in his dorm room right now that could easily wipe out the school if used correctly. 

His hands shake harder and he shifts in his chair uncomfortably.

"Listen, I really do need ter speak with you both," Hagrid said seriously. The boys nodded and listened in. "For starters, I need to speak with you about yer friend Hermione."

"She's not my friend," both boys say at the same time, startling Hagrid.

"Come on, now. Dun be like that. Hermione's a good lass. She's been helping me with my Buckbeak case even though I dunno how she has the time." He ignored the roll of their eyes and carried on. "She's been comin' down here a lot recently, real upset. Not had many people to talk to, said that you've started hating on her because her cat-"

"Ate Scabbers!" Ron yelled.

Harry snorted lightly and looked away.

"How d'yeh know that her cat ate yer rat?" Hagrid asked.

"That thing is a Kneazle. They're known to be vicious. I know you love magical creatures and everything but come on, Hagrid. They're terrible pets and it was always hissing and scratching at Scabbers! Then one day, Crookshanks is looking pretty proud of himself and Scabbers is nowhere to be seen. Only his hair and blood left behind," Ron glared.

Hagrid sighed and shrugged. "Well, it's in a cats nature ter do somethin' like that, I'm afraid. Doesn't mean he's a bad cat."

"You mean like Buckbeak?"

Hagrid swallowed and nodded slowly. "Yeh, I suppose so... Just like Buckbeak," he mumbled. He refused to look over at Harry who was now glowering at Ron for making the whole situation so much more awkward.

"You said for starters," Harry said. "So, what was the second thing, then?"

"Ah, that. I just wanted ter see how you were doing these days. With Black being up ter no good, as usual," Hagrid scowled. "Yeh've been keeping yerself safe, haven't you? I dun want him attacking you like he did with Ron."

"Yeah, that wasn't fun," Ron shuddered. 

Harry smiled. "I'm perfectly fine, don't worry. Thank you for the concern, though."

Hagrid eyed him warily for a moment before nodding. "Alrigh'. What about you, Ron? You alrigh', too?"

"I think so. I don't have nightmares or anything, if that's what you're wondering about," he shrugged. "Professor McGonagall helped fix my curtains, too. Thank Merlin, because my brothers said they were going to sneak in at night and watch me sleep," he cringed.

"Why would they want to watch that? You dribble on your pillow in your sleep. I've seen it," Harry smirked. 

"Shut up, I do not!" Ron snapped, turning a slight shade of red and ducking his head.

Finally, it was time to head back to the castle and Hagrid dropped them off in the hallway again, much like a babysitter. "Why dun you both head to bed now? It's gettin' late," he said.

Harry and Ron didn't bother arguing, they just ran for their common rooms and went to sleep.

* * *

On Saturday, everyone was going on yet another Hogsmead visit but Harry was stuck in school, not allowed to go. He wasn't completely alone however, as Neville had been banned from all future Hogsmead visits considering he'd nearly gotten Ron killed by losing the Gryffindor Tower passwords.

He'd much rather sulk all by himself but the boy had no proper social skills and constantly came up to him, asking to sit with him in the library and work on their homework together, which he always made excuses for so he wouldn't have to do so.

He was moody and tired and the fact that his homework was about vampires just reminded him that Silas still hadn't replied to his letter, which just got him madder. Where was he? It's been days, he usually replies within in a few hours.

He sighs and shoves the thoughts of the vampire out his head. He's feeling far too cooped up inside this castle right now and wants to leave and have some fun. He makes sure to grab his Invisibility Cloak and Marauders Map, shoves them inside his jacket pocket, throws the Cloak on top of his head and walks to one of the available escape routes he can reach which isn't guarded by Prefects, Filch, Mrs Norris, teachers or spells.

He hurriedly sneaks out the castle until he makes it through to the other side at Hogsmeade, climbing out the basement of Zonko's and sneaking through the shop. He grins in satisfaction, glad to finally be out and have fresh air. He wishes he could share the experience with someone as it does feel kind of lonely constantly doing this by himself - he didn't even bring Nessie with him - however, the less people that know, the better.

He has money in his pocket and decides to wait until some section of the store has cleared off before swiping some things off the shelves and sneaking up to the front counter, where he simply throws the money into the cash register, much to the astonishment of the person working it, and walks off with his sweets in his pockets. He's no thief, he won't resort to that just because he can get away with it. He has morals, for goodness sake. He's not going to turn himself into a criminal, even though that thought makes him inwardly laugh when he thinks about it, considering his shady past.

He walks out the shop and through the village, happily diving in and out of shops and getting what he needs. He spots Malfoy with Crabbe and Goyle eating snacks together and moves on. It seems as if the boy has gotten over his humiliation for the time being, thank heavens. He doesn't know what Severus told the boy to get him to calm down about the whole spider prank situation, but either way, it worked and he's grateful as it hasn't been brought up again.

A while later, as Harry was strolling aimlessly around and thinking in boredom, he thought perhaps he should head back to the castle so he could try and write to Silas again. Maybe the vampire just didn't get his letter the last time. He began walking in a random direction until he saw a familiar shade of orange hair in the distance standing talking to someone. He snuck closer and saw it was in fact Ron and he was _arguing_ with Hermione.

It wasn't something he expected to see and he stayed silent and he watched and listened in.

"Just tell me! Do you know if he's snuck out or not?" Hermione demanded.

"No!" Ron yelled. "And I don't care if he has. He's not my responsibility, is he? What do you care anyway?"

Hermione scowled. "Sirius Black is still out there, he's dangerous, you know this! He could get to Harry and hurt him! He almost hurt you, don't act like you don't care if something happened to him!" she reprimanded him.

Ron threw his hands up. "I wouldn't care! Just like he wouldn't care if something happened to me."

"That's such a lie," Hermione said exasperated. "When you were attacked by Sirius Black, he was worried. I could tell, he just didn't want to show it."

"Pfft, no he wasn't," Ron laughed.

"Yes, he was Ron!" she snapped. "I'm not an idiot and clueless like you are."

"Hey!"

"Sorry," she said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. "But, it's true. He was concerned for your safety. That's why he hasn't mocked you for what happened, like that idiot Malfoy has. _And_ , that's why he defended you the way he did, by pulling that prank on him. It all adds up, don't you see?"

Harry's stomach was twisting, he didn't like the fact that this girl was so smart - smart enough to actually work it all out. Because, the truth was, he hardly figured it out for himself and this was like a slap in the face. He clutched his belly tightly and held back a groan. 

"Oh," Ron whispered. 

"Yeah."

"Well, why does he have to be so bloody complicated all the time? I mean, we were getting along just fine not too long ago, too. We even had a laugh together. Then, next thing you know, we're back at each other's throats. What the hell are we supposed to do?" Ron frowned.

Hermione looked saddened. "You should both just sit down and have a long hard talk. There's lots of things you two need to discuss. Many things have changed within the past year, hasn't it?"

Ron glared. "I don't want to get into it."

"I'm afraid that eventually, you'll have no choice if you want your friend back," she said.

He scoffed and turned away from her, going silent. "Whatever. This conversation doesn't mean I'm magically forgiving you, y'know? I'm still pissed about what your cat did."

Hermione let out a long sigh, suddenly looking so much more tired. "Please, Ronald... I've said I'm sorry like a million times. Crookshanks-"

"-is a murderer," Ron spat and clenched his fists angrily. Hermione let out a frustrated breath and sniffed, tears forming in her eyes. Harry felt bad for her, he felt that Ron was pushing it a tad too far by now. His rat was gross, couldn't he have enough common sense to see that literally no animal would actually want to touch it? 

Hermione looked away from him and stared off into the distance where the Shrieking Shack is. It was presumably the most haunted place in Britain, festered with ghosts and ghouls of all kinds. Harry's mind suddenly got the bright idea to cheer her up and knock Ron down a peg.

Still hidden underneath his Cloak, he picked up a lump of mud from the ground and hurled it as hard and fast as he could at Ron's face, holding back a snort as it splattered all over him. He let out a loud yell and Hermione screamed in fear.

"Ugh, that's disgusting!" Ron cringed. "Where'd that come from?"

"I don't know," Hermione whispered in shock. "It looked like-"

"Agh! My eyes!" Another blob of dirt landed in his face and Hermione winced in sympathy as he clutched at his muddy eyes, trying to wipe them clean. He looked around in horror and Hermione was visibly paler, too. 

"D-do you want to get out of here?" she asked.

"Yes! Before it tries to kill me!" Ron yelled.

As he ran away, Harry threw more mud at him and it got all up his back and down his legs. It was an embarrassing sight that would lead to some terrible nicknames unless he cleaned himself up quickly. 

Feeling that he had enough fun for one day, he decided to finally head back to the castle, running back to Zonko's and sneaking down to the basement, where he climbed the trek of a tunnel all the way back to the castle. 

When he reached the hallways again, he immediately planned on going back to his dorm and putting his things away but was stopped by a familiar smell that felt good on his nose. He followed it with a frown and took the Cloak off, unfolding the Marauders Map and letting the pages come to life. As he turned a corner, the smell got stronger. He felt pulled towards it. He ran as fast as he could to chase it, not wanting to lose it.

Just as he looked down at the map, he saw the name _Remus Lupin_ stand out in front of his own and then looked up as he bumped into, funnily enough, Professor Lupin.

"Whoa, Harry, watch where you're going!" the man caught him before he fell on his bottom. The feeling of his bare fingerprints on his arms burned and he couldn't explain it. It was like he was being scolded with water, however it wasn't unpleasant. It was like dipping himself into a nice hot bath. He felt himself unwind and relax slightly around his presence, as if he could trust him somehow. Why? He hardly knows him. 

_'Perhaps, it's all that Patronus Charm work. Too much Light magic has turned me a little loopy,'_ he thinks to himself. _'Isn't it usually supposed to be the opposite way around?'_

"Sorry, I was looking for something," he says quickly and focuses on breathing through his mouth as the smell is just so strong and in his face.

"Oh? Looking for what?" Lupin raises an eyebrow.

Harry gives a shrug. "It doesn't matter anymore, it's probably in my imagination."

"I doubt that," Lupin says reassuringly. He looks down at Harry's hand and hums thoughtfully. "What's that you've got there?" he asks, pointing to the map he's still holding.

"Spare piece of parchment," Harry says casually and tries to put it back in his pocket but Lupin grabs the map and looks at it.

"Where did you get this?" he asks in a surprisingly softer toned voice. 

"Um, it's just-"

"Relax, I know what it is. I haven't seen this in years, I thought it'd been destroyed," Lupin said. "It's a map and I hope you haven't been using this. It's not dangerous at all, but the manufacturers of this were very keen on pranks during their time. They certainly won't have any trouble leading you into any secret passageways and out the castle."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I haven't been using it."

"Harry..." Lupin warned.

"Really!" he snapped. "I just found it, that's all."

"Hmm," the man narrowed his eyes. "Alright then. But, I'm going to have to take it off you for the time being."

"What? Why?" Harry gaped. "You think I'm lying and I'm going to sneak around the school when Sirius Black is out there? I'm not crazy, Professor Lupin."

"I didn't say you were, I'm just being precautious. The Headmaster would probably have my head if I didn't take it from you, it's just mandatory. I'd have to do it to any student," Lupin argued.

"Fine," Harry grit out and gave the map over begrudgingly. "Take good care of it."

"I will," the man smiled. Harry just scowled and stormed off, noting the fact that the smell that was surrounding his nose gradually disappeared as he walked away. Huh, strange.

* * *

Later, Hermione came up to him with tears in her eyes and was trembling as he was finally catching up on his homework in the library. 

"Er, do you need me to get you a tissue?" he asked awkwardly. "Or do you need to go to the hospital wing?"

"No, it's not me," she whimpered.

"Then why are you crying?" he asked confused.

"It's Hagrid. He had to go to the Ministry yesterday with Buckbeak to prove that he's not a dangerous animal and make sure that he doesn't get charged with any crimes," she sniffed.

"Yeah, so?" Harry raised an eyebrow. 

She was silent for a moment again, eyes tearing up more and dripping down her face before she managed to choke out. "H-he lost the case! Hagrid didn't win, Buckbeak is going to be executed because they deem him d-dangerous!"

Harry blinked in shock, not knowing what to say. On one hand, he feels slightly bad that she's having a breakdown like this because it doesn't look too pretty, but on the other hand he doesn't care at all for the Hippogriff. It's not his pet, it's Hagrid's. The man said it wasn't vicious, and yet it tried to kill him and Malfoy. Even the Ministry deemed it a threat, therefore he has no care in the world for it.

He just shrugs and turns back to his homework. "Meh. Serves it right."

There was silence yet again, before the sound of crying filled the room and he rolled his eyes. "How could you say something like that?" she whispered under her breath, before running away and leaving him alone.

The only thing he thought when she was gone was _'what did I do wrong?'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> In case you're wondering, I based the book Harry found in the library off this one, which really does exist:
> 
> https://www.harrypotterfanzone.com/pictures/beedle-the-bard-original-manuscript/
> 
> You can buy rare handwritten versions of the Deathly Hallows and other wizarding stories from JKR for expensive prices and they're very aesthetically pleasing. I thought it would go well with the story :P
> 
> Also, I feel I should let you know the theme of this overall series in general is basically about magical creatures, dark magic and lore/wandlore. I've had some people comment a few times over the books asking about ships and I need to remind you that this series DOESN'T focus on romance, hence there being no slash tags. Sorry if that's disappointing, but there's still great relationships in here, like with Severus, Nessie, Silas, Remus and Harry! Just not anything romantically, at least for the time being. (Ginny is dead, remember that - canon Hinny won't happen.)


	21. Breaking Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teaching Hermione a lesson, hospital wings and chats with Hagrid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: the beginning of the chapter with Harry and Hermione isn't the nicest thing I've written, but the Dark Harry tags are there for a reason! A breaking point had to come at some point though, didn't it? Skip past the first three thousand words if sad Harmoine scenes and torture themes upset you. 
> 
> PS: I know I took a while to update but I had personal things going on in my life that got in the way, unfortunately. Just know, I'd never abandon this series! I went into this eight months ago with the promise that I'd continue all the way through until the final book and I intend to keep it. **IF** by any chance I never update again, it'll be because of an accident/personal issue or an account error. And **IF** it got abandoned, I'd do the gracious thing and state so in the title :)

Harry watched as she ran off in tears, mumbling to herself under her breath and cursing him nastily. He let out a growl and slammed his book shut, shoved his unfinished work inside his bag and hurriedly chased after her through the halls. 

"Hey, you there! Wait up!" he yelled out. She stubbornly ignored him and ran away quicker but he just kept up the pace, continuing to chase after her. Eventually, he managed to corner her at the girl's bathroom where she hid inside, obviously thinking he wouldn't bother to enter, however she was wrong. He just kicked the door open and glared at her as she stood in the center of the bathroom with wide and fearful eyes, still wet and proceeded to slam it shut behind him, casting a Locking Charm.

"What are you doing?" she asked quietly, obviously nervous.

He smiled at her in obvious fake kindness. "Oh, you know. Just hanging out with my good friend, Hermione. I do _love_ our chats, don't you?" 

She stepped away from him as he approached her slowly, her back eventually hitting the wall. "Keep away from me," she spat. "I don't want to talk to you right now! Not after what you said about Buckbeak. That was completely uncalled for."

"Oh?" he paused where he was and raised an eyebrow. "Why's that? You're always so up and down, aren't you? One minute you're defending me and the next, you're against me. God, make up your mind, girl!" he snapped. "At least I know how I feel about you. I can't stand you, you've been a constant pain in my arse since day one!" he glowered.

"I haven't ever done anything to you!" she defended herself, tears falling down her cheeks again. "Why are you always so mean to me? Why can't you just be a nice person? It's not difficult."

"Because, you like to think you're the best student in this school, don't you? Wrong. You think you're the smartest but you're not. You're just a silly little girl who will go back home to your _muggle_ parents, excited to tell them the things you've achieved this year and sadly they won't have any idea of what you're talking about," he smirked cruelly.

She gaped in horror at his words. "How dare you! Your own mother was a muggleborn, or have you forgotten?" she yelled. "You're really lowering yourself to using slurs against me now? How much deeper can you sink?"

"Believe me, sweetheart, I can sink much lower and feel absolutely no shame in it," he said. 

"I believe you," she cringed. "Just tell me, what do you think she would say if she could hear you right now, huh?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know and I don't care. She's not here so it hardly matters."

Hermione stared at him and let out a long, disappointed sigh. "You're cold," she said after a moment of silence.

"Am I?" Harry challenged with a raised eyebrow. 

"Yes, you are! You only care about yourself and don't pay attention to anyone else's feelings, you're just mean! Buckbeak is a good bird and he's going to get killed because you couldn't keep your mouth shut for five minutes, it's selfish."

"It tried to kill me!" Harry snapped.

"And who's fault was that?" Hermione screamed. "You have to do the right thing and talk to Hagrid and apologise because I know you haven't done it yet! And you're going to have to do the humane thing and actually try to defend Buckbeak, along with me and Ron, so we can try to stop him from being executed. It's completely unfair."

Harry laughed bitterly. "And it's completely none of my business or responsibility. Granger, listen. It's not that I can't help or don't know how... it's simply that I don't want to," he shrugged casually.

Her jaw dropped at what he said. "You like to act like you're so high and mighty and special, but really you're just some overly ambitious little boy who likes to make everyone else around him miserable and thinks he deserves a crown for being so powerful!" she yelled.

"Aw, you agree I'm powerful? That's so sweet, I'm glad you're coming to your senses," he smirked.

"You know that's not what I meant," she glared. 

"It's how I took it."

"Of course it is," she sighed. "You're narcissistic and big headed."

"I thought I was a powerful?" he raised an eyebrow. "You're really trying to label me with one hundred different things simply because you're mad at me, aren't you? You'd be the worst psychiatrist, ever."

She grit her teeth and crossed her arms over her chest defiantly, pulling herself together at last. "Buckbeak is going to be executed and you don't even care, do you?" she asked.

"Why should I, hmm? The thing attacked me, it did it on it's own. Plus, I didn't tell the Committee to kill it, did I?"

"No, that was Lucius Malfoy," she said bitterly. "But, you were the one who started this in the first place!" she growled. "You and Draco Malfoy! If you both hadn't insulted Buckbeak in class and called him that name, he wouldn't have-"

"-tried to murder us?"

"-lashed out in self defence," she continued. "It's in his nature as an animal, you're clever enough to know things like that."

"Yeah, like how it was in your cat's nature to eat poor Ronald's rat?" he grinned. 

She turned red. "Crookshanks didn't eat him! He's a good boy. Why hadn't your snake eaten Scabbers?"

"Because she doesn't like that stinky rat," Harry cringed.

"Exactly!" she cried. "Magical creatures can sense intent, just as other's can sense things from them, good or bad. Surely you can understand that!" she snapped. "It must be _you_ who will be able to!"

Harry narrowed his eyes at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She was silent for a moment, simply staring at him and almost looking guilty, much to his disbelief. She sighed and shook her head, waving her hands casually. "Nothing, it doesn't matter. Forget I even said anything."

"No, tell me what you meant, _Granger_!" he snapped, stalking forward slightly.

She gulped and blinked, clearing her throat. "Alright, I just meant... you have a pet snake-"

"She's not a pet," Harry interjected rudely.

"Um, okay. You have a snake familiar, therefore you understand magical creatures and their behaviour. Plus, you're really good at Defence and I saw you powering through the homework, so clearly you know all your stuff," she started rambling quickly. "That's it."

Harry got the distinct feeling that she was lying to him right through her teeth and felt irritated. He didn't know what she'd have to lie about. 

"Are you deceiving me?" he questioned her.

She shook her head quickly. "No!" she replied quickly. 

He narrowed his eyes and walked closer, backing her up against the wall until she was trapped. She gulped and her eyes widened in fear. "You're lying," he stated. "What are you hiding from me?"

"I'm not hiding anything," she said shakily, trying to push past him. "Forget I even said anything, okay?" she waved her hand casually.

He caught her arm in a tight grip, making her wince and pursed his lips. "I most certinally won't be forgetting about anything. Tell me what you meant, now!"

"Harry!" she cried as he squeezed her arm hard enough to leave bruises. "Let me go, please!"

"I think you're trying to be sneaky about something and I'm going to figure out what it is and come down so hard on you and then destroy everything you love," he threatened. "This is your pitiful attempt at being a Slytherin and it's doing you no good. There's a reason why people like you aren't accepted in the dungeons," he grit out. "Whatever this is, it has clearly failed and it's pathetic. _You're_ pathetic. Oh, don't start crying!" he yelled when tears dripped down her face yet again and she started sniffing.

"I-it's not what you think. I'm not trying to be sneaky, I swear. I just..." she trailed off, rubbing her eyes.

"Just what?" he demanded.

She wrung her hands together anxiously for a moment before hanging her head. "I don't think I can tell you. I'm sorry. I know you have the right to know but I just can't."

Harry was silent for a moment before clenching his fists tightly and slamming them against the wall on either side of her head, trapping her and making her jump in shock. He took in a deep breath. "Alright then, have it your way. Be secretive."

Hermione looked guilty. "Harry, I'm only doing-"

"No! No more excuses. You want to remain silent on the matter, fine. You remain silent," he smirked. 

She raised an eyebrow at him in confusion. "What do you-"

"I said silence!" he snapped and whipped out his wand, pointing it at her face and casting an advanced Silencing Charm that wouldn't wear off until he cast he counter curse, which he didn't plan on doing. "Ah, peace at last," he smiled dreamily.

She started panicking and pointing to her throat and mouth hysterically, screaming for help, yet nobody could hear. She got out her own wand and tried to undo the spell, but considering the spell was advanced and could only be undone by him, and she couldn't do non verbal spells yet, she was unfortunately stuck like that.

She ran to the bathroom door and tried to leave, however it was still locked and she couldn't perform the Unlocking Charm either. He had her right where he wanted her.

She begged for it to be opened with her eyes but he just shook his head and grabbed her by her jumper roughly, pinning her back against the wall and towering over her. She cowered back and he glared hatefully at her.

"Now that you've finally shut your trap, you're going to listen in and do nothing else, or pay the deadly consequences. Nod if you understand," he said. She gulped and nodded slowly. Harry smiled. "Good, you know how to follow orders, this'll be easy then. I don't appreciate being lied to, Granger. You may think because I'm a Slytherin that it's in my nature to just accept lies with ease from people and not let it bother me. Well, you're wrong, it does bother me. A lot," he said. "If anyone can get away with lies, it's me and that's only because I have a proper incentive to do so. Nod again if you understand."

Hermione nodded, trembling in his arms. He simply ignored her and continued on.

"You can keep your dirty little secrets from me.... this time," he snarled, "but if I find out that you're keeping any more or you're plotting something against me or even sharing information with someone else, I'll stick to my earlier promise." She shook her head rapidly in both denial of the accusations and pleading him not to do so. He ignored her, yet again. "The muggles say 'snitches get stitches' but in this particular case, I think 'liar, liar, pants on fire' is a good saying, don't you?" he grinned. She frowned at him in confusion and he suddenly threw her to the floor with his increased strength, watching her slide across it and bang into the opposite wall with a sickening crunch. 

She let out a yell but it went unheard due to the charm placed on her. He was glad Myrtle wasn't around and was off bothering people at this time, as she would be a witness to what he was about to do and as a Hogwarts ghost, she had a liability to report any crimes back to the Headmaster. He didn't know where her loyalties lay, like the Baron, and was unsure if she'd keep his secret or rat him out if she caught him. And he was unsure if he could Obliviate a ghost which would be disastrous if the answer was no.

Hermione clutched her head where she banged it and her hand came away, covered in a small trickle of blood which had her tearing up in fright and pain. She looked up at him and he glared down at her menacingly. "I didn't want to have to do this, truly," he sighed. "But, you've left me with no choice."

He whipped out his wand and pointed it at her. She sat up in a dizzy movement, clearly concussed, and held up her hands in front of herself protectively. He saw her mouth move and tried to read her lips, making out the words "please, no!"

He rolled his eyes. "Begging? You're a Gryffindor. How very brave of you," he taunted and suddenly set her jumper on fire. It was a spell that Silas taught him - it wasn't quite Fiendfyre but more powerful than a simple Incendio. It was fire that caught onto clothes and very quickly spread onto skin, burning it and leaving painful blisters. If not treated quick enough, it would result in permanent scarring and in some cases, death. 

It was a highly frowned upon spell and hardly known about in the Wizarding World as it went out of fashion years ago for the more popular fire spells of today. One hundred years ago, however, it could be considered part of the Dark Arts and was punishable by ten years in Azkaban. It seems only older wizards and witches and those who worked for Voldemort or Grindelwald would know of the spell. 

As the spell took effect, Hermione silently screamed and grabbed her wand again but he Summoned it and held it in his own hand before placing it in his arm holster. "Don't even think about it," he warned.

She got up and tried to move towards him as the fire spread but he flicked his wand and trapped her in a Body Bind, making her unable to move. Tears were streaming down her face and she was screaming for help that he knew wouldn't come. She locked eyes with him as she begged for him to let her go. He took the opportunity to slip into her mind via Legillimency and see what was going on. He saw that she was scared and confused, both of the situation, the spell used and why he was acting like this.

He saw that she was calling out to her parents to come rescue her and he found it laughable. Her parents were dentists, of all things. What could they possibly do? Drill his gums to death? They were pathetic muggles, too. They wouldn't even be able to enter the castle due to the enchantments placed on the castle to stop muggles from seeing the building. It would only look like an old wreckage site to them.

Finally, he saw what she'd been hiding and was enraged. This is what she'd been doing all this time? This is why she acted so awkward earlier when talking about those magical creatures and brought him into it? She knew of what he was and wanted to discover his secrets, so much so that she wrote full essays for Professor Lupin's class on werewolves. 

What an idiot. If she thinks she can get anything out of him, she's absolutely wrong. 

He doesn't know how she discovered it in the first place and can't be bothered to continue shifting through her mind to figure it out as he hardly cares, because he has bigger things to worry about. He has to make sure she doesn't remember any of this. It's essential. 

He pulls out of her mind, uncaring about being gentle and notices her wince in pain as her mind is tugged painfully. She looks up at him in shock, memory reeling from the last few minutes and pales. She shakes her head quickly and begins to make excuses but he just ignores them, glad he can't hear them. It's taking every bit of self control he has not to _kill_ the girl right now and dump her body in the Chamber of Secrets where nobody will ever find her. It would be so easy, too. The sink is right there. But, it would be too suspicious and he's not an idiot.

"So, that's what you've been doing, huh? Spying on me and taking me for a fool, thinking I wouldn't ever figure it out? I did tell you earlier I'd find out," he smirked down at her, making sure to not get too close as the fire now began to melt away her clothes and simmer her skin. He saw it bleed and cringed. "Ew. Anyway, back to the important stuff. I can't have an idiot like you going around knowing stuff like this. You'd ruin me. So, here's what's going to happen," he said. 

He was sure she wasn't even paying attention to him at this point as she was so focused on the pain and nearly passing out but just sighed in frustration and pointed his wand at her. He decided to play the same card that he did with Ronald Weasley as it has been working successfully so far. 

"Imperio." Her body suddenly relaxed despite the fact that her legs, arms and chest were burning and chose to ignore it. "You are going to tell Madam Pomfrey that you were in the girl's bathroom, experimenting with some new spells and they were too advanced for you. They backfired and blew up in your face, burning your body. You ran for help but in a panic, you tripped down the stairs and hit your head. Nobody else was with you. Understand?"

"Yes," she said in a flat voice.

"Good. As for me, you will forget all about my lycanthropy. Your assignment for Lupin's class was just you being a good student and wanting the best grade, as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary there. I have no connection with werewolves, whatsoever. If you see me sick during the full moon or around that time of the month, it's simply me having a bad immune system from living in a muggle neighbourhood and going to a germ ridden children's school before Hogwarts. The dates are just coincidental, understand?"

"Yes."

"Brilliant." He then cancelled the fire spell on her and promptly knocked her unconscious with a spell, placing her wand next to her and giving him time to get out of there unnoticed. The Silencing Charm would wear off once she woke up, as well as the Imperius Curse still remaining present until she completed the actions given, and the blisters and burns would hopefully leave scars. He cast a Notice Me Not charm on himself and carefully slipped out the girl's bathroom, running back to the common room as quickly as he could.

* * *

Hermione spent the rest of the weekend in the hospital wing and much to Harry's disbelief, Ron had actually went to visit her. He was bitter about it. He didn't think the girl deserved any visitors, even if she couldn't remember what she'd done wrong to end up there in the first place. 

Harry decided to be the bigger person, however, and see how she was doing. Although truthfully, he wanted to see how bad her injuries were. He was hoping that it was serious and she looked horrid. It would be nice not to be the brunt of everyone's insults every now and then. It gets tedious being called Scarface.

"Hello, Hermione," he said politely as he entered the hospital wing.

"Harry? What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise, putting down her Charms book.

"Do you want me to leave?" he said, feigning offence. "I can leave you in peace if you'd like."

"No! I'm sorry, come in. I just didn't expect to see you here, that's all," she said quietly.

"Yet, Ronald came," he raised an eyebrow. 

"That was also surprising," she said. "He seemed... dare I say, worried?"

"Well, despite the fact that you two have been bickering for quite a while, you did nearly die," he said in a false sense of worry. "I'd say that's a pretty good reason to man up and come visit someone in the hospital wing, putting aside some silly argument about a cat and rat, don't you?"

She nodded with a smile. "I agree. It felt nice, I must admit."

"Hmm. So, how are you feeling?" 

"Much better," she said happily.

"Really?" he asked with a frown. 

"Yep! Madam Pomfrey managed to heal up most of my wounds from my accident and I'm so pleased about that. I really could have died or ended up with much more severe scarring. She said I'm incredibly lucky and someone must have been watching over me. She's a miracle worker herself," she said gratefully. "The most damage I've ended up with is some minor blistering on my abdomen, but that will always be covered by a shirt so it hardly bothers me."

"Oh, is that right?" Harry said with a strained smile. "Wow. That's great," he said halfheartedly, clenching his fists tightly. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks!" she said enthusiastically, not noticing his restrained anger. "Apparently I can get out of here by tomorrow, thank goodness. I hate hospitals and infirmary wings."

"Uh-huh. I hope you recover soon," he said.

"I've been reading up on more Charms work. I can't believe I was _stupid_ enough to actually attempt something like that. I know Gryffindors are known for their recklessness but I never thought that would be me," she said with sadness and disappointment. "I guess I learned my own lesson."

"Yes, exactly. Don't attempt something you're not truly ready for or something that's not on our year's curriculum. As you can see, it has... deadly consequences," he narrowed his eyes, repeating his previous words said in the girl's bathroom.

She nodded and sighed then suddenly took in a deep breath, sitting up straighter. "Huh?"

"What?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

She stared off into the distance for a moment before shaking her head, clearing it and slumping back against the pillows. "Nothing... I thought I remembered something. I don't know what, though. It was a weird sense of deja vu."

Harry pursed his lips and spoke in a stern voice, feeling like a smaller male version of Professor McGonagall. "Don't worry about it. That happens to all of us, it's completely normal. A lot of the time, it's the brain's funky way of saying you need some rest as it's replaying some dreams you've previously had in your sleep and it's simply trying to remember them," he lied, hoping it sounded believable.

"Wow, I never knew that. I have been reading all day, I guess I need to give my eyes a break," she said. "A nap should do me some good."

"Yes, it will."

"Thanks Harry, you've been helpful and kind," she smiled up at him.

"It's what I'm here for," he smiled back, trying not to gag.

"Listen. I know we've had our differences, but just like my situation with Ronald, I hope one day down the line, we could be friends. Or, at least on compatible terms," she said hopefully.

"I hope that, too. I'll let you rest now," he said as he headed for the exit quickly, keeping on his mask of friendliness until he entered the hallway and immediately dropped it, storming away furiously.

* * *

Later at lunch, Harry saw Ron holding a letter and looking distressed. He was standing outside the Great Hall and kept looking inside towards the High Table at the teachers. Harry snuck a peak, too, and noticed Hagrid was missing. Suddenly, a familiar looking owl flew towards the Slytherin table and headed straight towards him.

"Please don't be for me, please don't be for me," he chanted under his breath. Unfortunately, the owl landed right in front of him and dropped off a letter, taking off again after stealing a bite of his bagel. He opened it up and saw it was from Hagrid. The ink was smudged and it looked like either rain or tears had poured down on it. Based on the letter's contents which involved Hagrid losing the case with Buckbeak, he assumed they were tears.

The man was asking if he wanted to come down for some tea and he sighed, ignoring the curious looks from the people at the table and looked back towards the doors where Ron was leaving. He got up and went after him, careful not to make a fool of himself and chase him, before calling out once they were alone in the yard outside.

"Weasley! Ronald, stop walking so fast!" he snapped.

"Maybe you walk too slow," Ron said.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Why were you just standing at the entrance to the hall like a stalker?"

"Oh. I had a letter from Hagrid and he wants to see me but he wants me to invite you, too. I didn't want to go over to the Slytherin table."

"You could have just sent me a letter if you're that embarrassed," Harry glared.

"Everyone would know it was me! They recognise Errol, he's such a loser," Ron said in embarrassment. 

"Then use one of the school owls!" Harry said in frustration. "Just don't creep me out by peeking your head in the door and looking suspicious," he sighed. "Ugh, I didn't know my presence as a snake humiliated you that bloody much," he said angrily.

"It's not you. It's the other Slytherins. They're all mean and would say things. Especially Malfoy," Ron sneered.

"I'll admit that Malfoy is a prat, but not all Slytherins are mean. Just like not every Gryffindor is kind," Harry crossed his arms. "Don't even try to deny it. I would know. I was in that wretched House for two years, I've been the victim of those very people's insults when I was supposed to be a member," he spat. 

"Alright, fine! Gryffindors can be... rude at times. But, they're not pure evil," Ron scowled.

"Pure evil? Really Ronald?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "How can eleven year olds and thirteen year olds be pure evil?" Ron stuttered for words but Harry cut him off. "In case you didn't realise, Sirius Black, the very man who's been in Azkaban for twelve years after killing all those muggles and selling my parents out to Voldemort and is currently trying to _kill me_ , is a Gryffindor. Look it up," he spat.

"Wait, what?!" Ron yelled. "No Gryffindor would side with Voldemort!"

"Well, one did and his name is Sirius Black. Y'know, the one who also tried to kill you?"

"But... why?" Ron said in shock.

"Because he's insane! There's no logical reason for it. You can't reason with people like him, they just do these things because they simply enjoy it," Harry sighed. "He was brave and reckless enough to join Voldemort's side and commit evil acts and even break out of the highest security prison which was surrounded by Dementors. That's a true Gryffindor, right there."

Ron looked saddened, as if his world was crumbling down around him. His allusion that Gryffindor House being the best House in Hogwarts that could do no wrong was clearly shattered and he was having trouble adjusting. 

"I don't know what to say."

"Get over it, Ron. It's not like he's betrayed _you_ to Voldemort. You're still standing here," he said bitterly and walked off towards Hagrid's hut.

Ron quickly followed behind him and looked guilty, remaining silent, much to Harry's relief. When they knocked on the door to the hut, Hagrid let them in and was wiping at his damp eyes. "Hagrid, what's wrong?" Ron asked. "Wait. It's about Buckbeak, isn't it?"

Hagrid nodded sadly. "Yeh. I'm allowed ter keep him fer now, jus' until the executioners come an' kill him. It's so unfair! I know he wasn't on his best of behaviour but I swear ter yeh, he's usually a good Hippogriff. He likes it when I stroke his feathers an' he likes it when I feed him chunks of meat," he sighed. "I wish there was somethin' I could do, but I jus' can't."

"We're so sorry, Hagrid. We wish we could help you, too," Ron said sympathetically. Harry had to bite back his retort that he most certinally doesn't want to help but kept his mouth wisely shut. 

"It's alrigh'. I'm jus' gonna make sure his last few days are memorable an' really amazin' fer him. He'll go out with a right proper smile on his wee face, won't he?" Hagrid smiled tearfully. 

"He sure will. You're doing the right thing. Give him as much food and cuddles as he wants," Ron encouraged. 

"I will," Hagrid nodded. "So, how's yer friend Hermione? I hope yer talkin' again," Hagrid said hopefully. "She was in a right state in the hospital wing after her accident. She could really do with some friends 'bout now, y'know. Fer comfort an' support."

"Hermione's doing fine," Ron said in a relieved tone. "I went to visit her and she looked much better. The burns are healing well, thanks to Madam Pomfrey."

"Yeh, she sure knows how ter care fer her patients," Hagrid said proudly.

"We've been getting along much better recently, too. When I went to see her, she cried and told me she was sorry about Scabbers again. Just seeing her look so vulnerable, especially after what happened, I couldn't hold a grudge any longer, so I decided to forgive her," Ron sighed deeply. "It wasn't easy but it was for the best."

"Thas great, Ron!" Hagrid cheered. "I'm proud of yeh. It was the right thing ter do."

"Thanks," Ron blushed. "Besides, it hardly matters, now that I really think about it. I mean... Scabbers was really old," he shrugged. 

Harry snorted. "No kidding. That pesky thing was going to die soon, anyway."

Ron glared at him but said nothing.

"So! Tea, anyone?" Hagrid offered, lightening the tension.

* * *

At dinner, Hermione was finally allowed out the infirmary and ignored everyone's questioning stares as they walked through the halls to the lunch hall. She was hungry and just wanted to eat something as the hospital food wasn't the best. On the way to the Great Hall, she heard some distinctive laughter that made her blood boil and sighed tiredly. She wasn't in the mood for this but it was expected.

"Granger, what happened to you? You're looking a little dishevelled," Malfoy taunted whilst his goons Crabbe and Goyle laughed beside him.

"What do you want, Malfoy? I have better things to do than converse with the likes of you," she snapped.

"Oh, really? Like, almost kill yourself in the girl's bathroom? You see, us Slytherins would never do something like that as we're not idiots and we have self preservation," he mocked. "I thought you were supposed to be clever."

"It was an accident!" she yelled. "You don't know what happened and I assume there's already rumours and gossip spreading around, correct? Just ignore it or else."

"Ooh, I'm so scared of a girl," Malfoy taunted and laughed at her as she began to walk away. "Yep, that's right. Go calm down and make sure you don't blow a fuse and explode, just like your spell did, Granger," he said. "Why don't you go to the oaf's house and you can cry over the bird that will die along with you?" he smirked.

Suddenly, Hermione turned around and stormed up to Malfoy, punching him directly in the nose and bursting it. "I warned you, you evil little cockroach!" she yelled and stormed off, leaving Malfoy clutching his broken and bloodied nose. People watched in shock but she hardly cared - it felt good to put him in his place like that. She can't stand bullies and will never be friends with any. That's a promise she'll keep to herself.

* * *

Harry was sitting on the couch in the common room and reading a book when Malfoy came into the room, a faint bruise around his nose and eyes. "What happened to you?" he asked.

"Granger. She went mental and attacked me in the middle of the hallway for everyone to see, right before dinner," Malfoy spat.

"So, that's why you weren't there," Harry said. "I was curious. What did you do to deserve it?"

"What? I didn't do anything!" Malfoy exclaimed. "She just freaked out because she's a weirdo and has never had any proper upbringing like the rest of us. She lacks the proper etiquette. I actually feel sorry for her," Malfoy sighed regrettably. 

Harry rolled his eyes. "Are you sure you didn't say something to make her upset? Granger isn't the type of person to just go around attacking people. I know her better than you."

Malfoy scoffed. "I may have mentioned her accident and said some things about the chicken."

Harry threw his hands up. "That right there! That's the catalyst. The reason she punched you. You offended her, so of course she's going to retaliate. What did you think she was going to do? Sit back and take it like a coward? She's a Gryffindor - they're known to be reckless. Dammit Malfoy, use your head," Harry reprimanded. 

"Okay, relax Potter!" Malfoy said with wide eyes. "What do you suggest I do then if she decides to come at me again? What's your brilliant plan?" he asked sarcastically.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Curse her."

"C-curse her?" Malfoy asked in shock. "Seriously?"

"Meh. Why not? Nothing too bad, though. It can have consequences. You don't want to get into major trouble if you're caught. But, that's why you make sure you're not," Harry said. 

Malfoy nodded slowly. "Uh-huh. Alright then, I'll remember that."

"Hmm," Harry waved him off and went back to his book. 

Eventually, the girls entered the room. "What are we talking about? Daphne asked.

"Malfoy is an idiot and Granger broke his nose," Harry said casually. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Blondie does have a way with the ladies," Daphne teased as Malfoy turned red. 

"Stop it, all of you! It's not funny!" Malfoy snapped.

"It's a little funny," Pansy smirked. 

"You got beat up by a girl," Daphne laughed. 

"I hate you all," Malfoy said and stormed off. Harry snorted in amusement as he left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> This chapter was supposed to be MUCH longer but it would have ended up being 10K words yet again, therefore not being posted for several more days, so I had to stop writing at this point. The rest will be continued in the next chap :)


	22. Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another full moon night, receiving a letter and playing against the Hufflepuffs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was quick, wasn't it? ;)

The next day, they were back in classes and Harry was feeling on edge. Another full moon episode was about to occur and he was feeling hot and uncomfortable, constantly having to cool himself down with Cooling Charms. He was glad he'd distorted Hermione's memories of him as she'd now definetly know what was wrong with him, if she could remember correctly.

Harry could see the blue smoke rising from the cauldron Severus was leaning over during class as he brewed and knew he was working on his Wolfsbane for him. He was currently brewing his own Pain Reliever and catching Severus give Seamus Finnegan and Neville Longbottom the stink eye.

"Please, you blundering idiots, do make sure not to blow anything up in my class or you shall both be personally responsible for scrubbing it from top to bottom," Severus snapped as both of the boy's cauldrons sizzled and bubbled. "Again," he glared at Ron who turned red.

They both nodded quickly and took their cauldrons off the heat to let them cool, successfully stopping them from blowing up.

"He's a prick, I hope he drowns in his cauldron," Harry distinctly heard Seamus grit out under his breath.

"That's a bit extreme," Neville said shocked.

"So are his punishments! Jeez Neville, grow a backbone, will you?" Seamus scowled at him. 

Neville ducked his head and looked upset whilst Harry just clenched his hands tightly.

He despises Seamus with a passion. He's always been one of the more obnoxious and rude Gryffindors and he hated sharing a dorm with him. He's glad those days are over. Neville is good people. He may be clumsy and naive at times, but he's grown a lot more confident over these past few years, definetly grown a backbone and that's progress. He sees potential in him.

There were times where Harry was upset - both in Gryffindor and Slytherin House - and just needed someone to vent to about his feelings, and surprisingly, Neville was there for him. It was quite awkward but nevertheless, the boy definetly tried and cared. That was enough for him to realise he's probably one of the very few trustworthy ones.

"I know who else has a good chance of blowing up," Malfoy snickered at their table, pulling him out of his thoughts. He pointed over at Hermione who was glaring back at him.

"I told you not to wind her up," Harry whispered. "Unless you want her to smack you again?"

Pansy and Daphne held in a laugh and Malfoy turned red, stirring his potion angrily. "She wouldn't get the chance. That cursing we were talking about? I definetly have a few in mind for her," he whispered.

"Oh?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

Malfoy nodded. "Perhaps I'll tell you about them later."

"Sounds delightful," Harry drawled, pretending to be interested. He went back to his potion and smiled at his success as it was nearly complete.

Eventually, the class finished and he poured his potion into vials, keeping some for himself and handing the rest to Severus who graded it with an Outstanding. He left the class in a better mood and headed on his way to Charms, ignoring a chattering Malfoy on the way as his head was pounding out his skull. He just wanted to go to bed and sleep until next week.

His legs hurt and it was getting difficult to walk up the flights of stairs but he powered on. As they reached Flitwick's class, he heard Ron let out a gasp.

"Where'd Hermione go? I was _just_ talking to her a second ago and now she's disappeared!" he asked the people around him. 

"Maybe she thought she'd blow herself up in class again, so she decided to skip it," Malfoy teased Ron.

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Ron yelled. "You stay out of this."

Harry rolled his eyes at their bickering and went to take a seat. He was frustrated that they had several classes with the Gryffindors. It was like the school actively wanted them to be at each other's throats and kill each other, even though they were the two most competitive Houses in there. He wished the Headmaster would step in and put a stop to it, but he knows he can only do so much and it would be near impossible to ban them from being with each other during their entire curriculum. 

He couldn't concentrate in class due to the pain and stress he was going through. He briefly saw Professor Flitwick eye him in concern and ducked his head to ignore him. Of course he, just like the rest of the faculty knew what time was coming up and would try to suggest to him that he skip out on classes with their permission to get his rest. He would probably try and keep him behind after class to talk to him about it but he didn't want that.

It made him feel weak and vulnerable when others asked him questions about his condition. It was probably stupid as they only had his best interest at heart, but being as self conscious as he is, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from snapping if he got too frustrated right now. He lazily focused on his work throughout the remainder of the class and sighed in relief when the bell rang. He saw the teacher reach out his hand, about to call out for him, but he just ran out the class as fast as he could and down the halls.

As everyone headed for the Great Hall, he snuck his way to the kitchens when his stomach let out a loud growl and started churning painfully. He clutched it and winced, mentally cursing the werewolf who turned him when he was ten and hoping it was suffering in severe pain right now. 

He still didn't know who it was and why they did it, but he hopes one day he can find out and teach them a valuable lesson for ruining his life.

He entered the kitchen and immediately asked an elf to bring him his usual food: raw mince in a container with a spoon. He smiled gratefully and began digging in, feeling the hunger pains settle down momentarily. The elf bounced, clearly pleased with making him happy and hopped away, leaving him alone to enjoy his meal. 

He had a few servings until the pain in his stomach disappeared. He then cleaned himself up and headed back to his dorm, sitting alone with Nessie. He sighed and looked towards his bedside table, taking the mysterious book he recently stole from the library out and checking over it. He still got strong waves of power coming from it that weren't unpleasant and wanted to open it up. 

He got out a dagger he had which was casually sitting in his drawer and started trying to pick the lock, but the magic seemed to forcefully push the blade back out. He frowned and got out his wand, casting an 'Alohamora', but to no avail. 

**"What can I do, Nessie? It won't open up. It's stuck,"** he said in frustration.

**"Perhaps you should try damaging the lock,"** she suggested. **"Maybe crack it open with a spell."**

Harry nodded and sat the book on the floor, aiming his wand at the large lock only and cast a 'Bombarda', only to blow a chunk out of the floor. He repaired it and tried again. "Bombarda Maxima!" he said loudly, hoping the more advanced spell would work. Again, the floor just cracked and split open, making a mess of his dorm room. "Reparo," he said miserably.

**"Well, I must say, that book has one strong lock,"** Nessie said. 

**"No kidding. I don't know why but I just feel the need to see what's in it. Something is pulling me towards it, but how can I do that if I can't open the damn thing with my wand?"**

**"Perhaps you're not supposed to use your magic wand,"** Nessie said curiously. 

**"We've already tried muggle techniques. They don't work either,"** Harry said matter of factly. 

**"Hmm... I was thinking more along the lines of those different branches of magic you use,"** she said. 

Harry raised an eyebrow. **"I use lots of branches of magic."**

**"Yes. And surely one of them is bound to work,"** she said encouragingly. 

**"I guess it couldn't help to try and experiment with some Charms,"** he said hopefully. **"Maybe, even some Dark Magic if I need to."**

**"You can get your blood sucker friend to help you,"** Nessie suggested.

**"Silas? Pfft, I have no idea where he even is right now. He's took off, again. Without even a letter or a small note, even though he promised me the last time that if he disappeared again, he'd leave one,"** he said bitterly.

**"Maybe he got hurt,"** Nessie said. 

**"He's a five hundred year old vampire with extreme strength and combat skills. I doubt anything could hurt him easily,"** Harry pouted.

**"If he shows up again, do you want me to bite him in order to teach him a lesson?"** she asked.

He laughed and stroked her head gently. **"It's quite alright, girl. Besides, your venom couldn't really do anything to him, even though it's pretty toxic to humans. He's a magical being, his body would naturally fight it off instantly and you would have wasted venom for nothing."**

**"It would still sting, though,"** she said in amusement. 

**"I believe you,"** he smiled. 

He put the book away and vowed to come back to it at a later time, probably when he had more ideas in mind to bust the lock open. 

**"Why don't you take a nap, youngling? I'll watch over you to make sure there are no intruders or plotters. You're looking very tired and I know you never feel well when the big silver circle is in the sky,"** she said with worry.

**"Unfortunately, I can't. I have class soon and it's with those stupid Gryffindors. Again,"** he grimaced. 

**"Oh dear. Why don't you teach them a lesson?"** she asked.

Harry grinned at her. **"Actually, I did do that recently. Hermione Granger just wouldn't shut up..."** he trailed off as he explained the bathroom incident to her. Nessie just listened in with amusement.

* * *

Divination was probably his least favourite class in the entire school. It made him paranoid and the teacher irritated him, with the way she constantly predicted a bunch of rubbish. Especially, predicting bad things happening to him, like saying omens of Death were coming after him and he was going to die. 

The worst part was, he believed it all to be true.

He couldn't quit the class, though. He had to complete every one until the end of the year and pass all his exams if he wants to be successful. He won't let Hermione beat him - he'd never live down the shame and embarrassment.

He's currently sitting in class and gazing into a crystal ball with boredom, watching foggy smoke swirl around inside. Despite Professor Trelawney's hopes for them all, he doesn't see anything in the orb. He thinks if he did, it probably wouldn't be very nice. In fact, it would most likely be him suffering at the hands of a Dementor or Sirius Black, therefore he's glad he doesn't have the Inner Eye.

"Do you see anything?" Blaise asked.

Harry shook his head. "You?"

"Nothing."

"No surprise there. This is all a bunch of nonsense," Theo muttered.

"Why are you taking the class if you hate it so much?" Harry asked.

"I thought it would be interesting when I first heard about it. Evidently, I was wrong," the boy said with pursed lips.

Suddenly, Trelawney started rambling to herself incoherently after gazing into an orb and was gaining the attention of the class. 

"You!" she gasped, pointing to Harry. He sighed in disappointment. "The omen of Death draws nearer towards you. You must be prepared before it attacks. You are in terrible danger," she said with a shaky voice.

Harry ignored everyone's stunned looks their way and focused on his hands, clenching them. 

"Right... Thanks for telling me."

"Oh, this is rubbish!" Hermione's shrill voice piped up. "You can't honestly believe this, can you? How can you say something like that to a student? It's totally barbaric."

"I speak only the truth, my dear. If you don't like it, maybe this class isn't for you," Trelawney said. "After all, I don't see any bright future with you in this particular subject. You lack an open mind and the ability to connect with the Inner Eye."

"Fine! I'm leaving!" Hermione turned red in anger and grabbed her bag, angrily throwing the crystal ball to the floor and storming out the class. Everyone gaped after her, not expecting that wild reaction.

"Professor, you did say that someone would be leaving our class forever a while back, remember?" Lavender Brown spoke up. "Did you know she would do that?"

"Yes dear, I'm afraid I did. And just like all my predictions, they tend to come true," she said in a quiet voice, making everyone gulp and cast quick glances Harry's way.

"Potter, just ignore her. It's all trickery and brainwashing," Blaise said. "She coerced Granger into leaving, making everyone think that she predicted her leaving the class. She planned it out."

"Right," Harry muttered. "I suppose that makes sense," he said, not really believing it.

"No sane teacher would actually predict a student's death. She's barmy and does it for attention. It's a wonder how she got the job," Theo said.

"Uh-huh," Harry mumbled, hardly paying attention anymore. He was too busy lost in unpleasant thoughts, thanks to Trelawney.

* * *

Later on in the day, a familiar looking owl flew towards him in the empty hallway and dropped a letter off in his hands. It left some feathers behind as it squawked and flew off again. Harry saw Filch come around the corner with Mrs Norris and mumble angrily at the bird's mess, glaring at him.

"What are you looking at, squib?" Harry said nastily. "Don't you have anything better to do, rather than stare at students in that creepy way?"

"Don't you talk to me like that, Potter! I'll take this up with Professor Snape and have you for this!" Filch yelled as he pointed his finger at him angrily.

Harry just huffed, unamused. "I really don't think you will. Remember our little deal before?" he said with a raised eyebrow. Filch thought for a moment before paling. "That's right. You never get me into trouble or give me detentions and I'll keep your dirty little secret to myself. Or, I swear I'll tell the entire school's population what you are," he threatened.

"Y-you wouldn't..." Filch said anxiously. 

"Oh yeah? Try me," Harry challenged.

"I don't think you'd have the guts. You haven't done so yet!" Filch retorted. 

"Because you haven't given me a reason to. But that can easily change, can't it, squib?" Filch swallowed and nodded slowly. Mrs Norris was hissing menacingly at him and Harry glared down at her. "Get your smelly cat under control before I make what happened last year look like a lovely spa treatment."

Filch took a step back and picked up the cat, cradling her gently to his chest. "Come on, my sweet. Let's go find some other children who are up to no good and give them a lashing," he muttered to the animal. She hissed one final time at Harry before nuzzling into Filch's arms and relaxing as he walked away with her.

"They're both disgusting," Harry mumbled to himself before he crept into a nearby alcove and ripped open the letter. To his surprise, it was from Silas.

> _**Dear Harrison,** _
> 
> _I know this letter is late in arriving to you. Alright... It's extremely late. I promised you the last time I vanished that I would leave a note, rather than simply vanish into thin air like vampires can do. I guess I'm sticking to my reputation as one._
> 
> _Okay, that was a bad joke._
> 
> _The point is, I'm returning shortly and will bring news for you to hear. Important news that I know you'll appreciate and cannot be expressed properly through a letter. Just know that it involves your... terrible situation with those you know whats surrounding the castle._
> 
> _I really do wish I could have left a letter. I was going to, but after contacting some people who demanded to meet with me in person immediately, I just had to leave and didn't have the time for explanations. Hopefully, I can make it up to you with all the information I have received these past few weeks. You'll find it worth your while, I'm sure._
> 
> _**Silas** _

Harry put the letter away safely in his pocket and frowned, pondering the contents of the letter. What could Silas possibly be doing that involves him randomly vanishing like that? Where did he go and who was he with? He was clearly talking about his situation with the Dementors and he assumes he's probably figured out how to fend them off, much to his relief. Could it be something stronger than the Patronus Charm? Perhaps he's figured out a way for him to escape the Death omen.

He can only know the answers when the man gets back from wherever he is and explains it all to him. For now, he decides it's best not to overthink it and worry himself. He does his usual routine and heads to the kitchens for some of his required food, then heads back to his dorm for a nap. He has some vials of the Wolfsbane Potion in his bedside table and he chugs one back quickly, grimacing at the taste and letting himself fall into a deep sleep.

* * *

By the next day, Harry was unable to get out of bed. His whole body hurt and he was groaning in pain. Nessie was hovering over him in worry, trying to coax him into a sitting position, but he could hardly lift his head. Everyone else had already left the dorms and he was alone with no help.

Nessie took the opportunity to quickly exit the dorm and slither down the staircase, into the common room and out the exit. She head in the direction of Severus's potions lab and entered when she saw the man inside, grading some papers. She hissed up at him to get his attention.

**"Black haired man, answer me!"** she demanded, even though Severus couldn't understand her.

"Nessie? Why are you so distressed? Where is Harry?" he asked with a frown, coming up to her.

She nodded her head in the direction of the doorway and gestured for him to follow her, which he did quickly. She led him back to the common room and to the boy's dorm where Harry was currently semi conscious and panting heavily.

"Ugh," he mumbled in pain, burying his head in his pillow.

Severus entered the room quickly and sat on Harry's bed, putting a hand against his forehead to feel his temperature. "Oh dear, you're burning up. It's that time, isn't it?" he said. Harry nodded sadly. "Don't worry, I'll get you some pain medicine, food and I'll cool you down. Just make sure to keep your gloves on so you don't scratch yourself." Harry nodded again and shut his eyes, feeling Nessie curl up against him and offer words of comfort, whilst Severus ran off to collect the necessary medicine. 

It was a tedious hour, having spent getting changed into looser fitting clothes and getting multiple potions poured down his throat, as well as having Severus place constant Cooling Charms on him whilst he made him eat food that would disgust anyone else.

He began to feel slightly better, however, and he was very much grateful. 

"You just stay in bed for the next couple of days. You don't need to go to classes, you know the rules," Severus said softly. "You can catch up on everything once you're all better. For now, you need your rest."

"Okay. That sounds nice," Harry mumbled and snuggled into his pillow, closing his eyes again. Severus smiled down at him and pulled the covers up, tucking him in comfortably. "I'll be back later. You still have your Wolfsbane Potion I made you?" Harry nodded weakly. "Good. Nessie, take care of him," he told the snake who nodded firmly. 

He closed his curtains and gave him privacy, leaving him alone with his companion in the dorm.

* * *

All he knew was pain for the next couple of days. It got worse and worse, as he got hotter and more angry. His roommates knew something was wrong but when he told them he was just coming down with the flu and to stay away, they wisely listened and kept their distance. 

Only Severus came in a few times every day to check on him and bring him what he needed - bless his heart. He was neither scared of him or offended by his rude behaviour when he couldn't stop himself from verbally lashing out and swearing at the man, which would probably have any other student in detention.

He felt bad about it and would later apologise when he was feeling better, but the episodes unfortunately always turn him into such a nasty piece of work.

He sat aside any piece of homework he had and let it build up into a pile on his desk, untouched. He would look at it and want to set it on fire, barely restraining himself from doing so. He gets out his sketchbook and draws himself covered in scratches all over his body, tears streaming down his face. The moon is high in the sky and he writes a caption in big bold lettering above himself, coming out a speech bubble. It reads, _**'PAIN! THERE'S ALWAYS SO MUCH PAIN! MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE!'**_

It's a cry for help that he knows nobody will hear and the real tears come streaming down his face. He buries his face in his pillow and whimpers, clutching onto it and desperately hoping it will all end soon. A deep part of him within sadly hopes it will be because of death.

He just ignores it.

* * *

Eventually the dreaded night came and it was no different than any other. He was thankful he was down in the dungeons rather than up in the Tower, however, as the moonlight couldn't shine through all the water and into the windows like it did in the Gryffindor dorms.

He tossed and turned all night as he glared hatefully at the other boy's beds, envious of their ability to sleep peacefully with no issues. He could hear Crabbe mumbling to himself about sweets and see him dribbling saliva on his pillow. He could also hear Goyle chucking in his sleep, probably having an amusing dream that Harry desperately wished he was having.

It took every bit of strength he had not to go over there and suffocate them in their beds.

_'Why don't you? They're both overweight. It could simply look like a heart attack,'_ the strange voice in his mind spoke up. He hadn't heard from it in a while now and believed it had gone away, but apparently he was wrong.

Harry growled. _'They haven't done anything wrong. I won't go around killing innocent people, I'm not a murderer,'_ he defended himself.

_'That's a laughable excuse. Shall we go back over your body count? There was your Aunt Marge and there was-'_

Harry cut the voice off quickly. _'Alright! Stop it. I get the point, I'm pulling excuses out my arse,'_ he glared at the far wall.

The voice chuckled. _'That's one crude way of putting it.'_

_'But, Marge was_ not _innocent by any means. She was a wicked and vile woman. You should know that, you were there when the incident took place! You were the one who encouraged me to kill her stupid dog,'_ he snapped.

_'Oh yes, you are quite right. How could I forget about that?'_ the voice teased. _'It certainly was a night to remember. If I had dreams at night, I'd certainly have the best of dreams after that day.'_

Harry smiled slightly in pride then doubled over and winced, clutching his sore belly. _'You need to leave, I'm not in the mood for your presence. I just want to rest, or try to, at least.'_

The voice sighed. _'Alright, I'll depart. But, expect to hear from me again soon, child.'_ With that, the voice left and Harry flopped himself back down onto his pillows, hiding away underneath his covers.

It was an awful thought that passed through his head and he was shocked that he'd even consider such a thing, but he momentarily thought that it would be easier if he stopped taking his Wolfsbane Potions from now on every month. When he takes them, he's always conscious during the night and has to suffer away, whereas when he fully transforms, despite the fact that he becomes a dangerous beast, he won't be aware of it and won't remember anything as his humane mind shuts down for the time being and the lycanthropy takes over.

He could just go away and hide somewhere where nobody could find him, perhaps the Chamber of Secrets and ride the event out on his own. Or, maybe he could leave the school grounds and hide in the Shrieking Shack that's in Hogsmead. Everyone believes it's haunted anyway, therefore if they heard his howls, they would probably just think it's a ghost or poltergeist.

He thinks carefully about his options, trying to distract himself from the pain that's pounding in his skull and his scars on his face that are red, raw and burning like he's on fire whilst attempting to fall asleep. It takes several hours but eventually he finds himself passing out cold, thankfully.

* * *

When the Easter holidays finally approached, Harry took his time to enjoy the freedom and relaxation that came with no longer suffering at the hands of a transformation. As he was walking through the corridors alone, he heard familiar voices from a distance and decided to follow. It was Fred and George and they were chatting away about the upcoming Quidditch game.

"-because I know he's a good Quidditch player and everything, he always has been, but it just bugs me that he has to play for the opposite team now," Fred mumbled disappointingly.

"I know, Freddie. But there's nothing we can do. He isn't one of us, he's one of them. And as much as I hate to admit it, he does have a good chance of beating the Hufflepuffs in the final game," George sighed.

Harry frowned, wondering who they were referring to. He kept quiet and stayed around the corners as he listened in.

"I wish just once they'd all lose, so we can have a shot at winning for a change. We've not won the Quidditch Cup in ages!" Fred said in frustration.

"Calm, Freddie. Take a breath," George said whilst laying a hand on his brother's shoulder. Fred nodded and breathed. "Maybe if we cross our fingers, they'll lose," George said with a smirk.

"Isn't that kind of mean? He's our friend... isn't he? Shouldn't we be wishing him luck?" Fred asked sceptically.

George snorted. "Oh, please! He'd do the exact same and you know it. Just like if Ron were on the Hufflepuff team, we'd secretly hope he'd lose," he chuckled. "And he's our own brother."

"Yeah, we probably would do that," Fred agreed with a mischievous smile. "Let's never tell him that, though."

"Nu-uh," George shook his head. "Look. I like Harry, he's a cool bloke. But let's admit it here, just between the two of us - Quidditch is cooler."

Fred laughed and they both continued on their way up the staircases. Harry was so lost in thought that he didn't see or hear them enter the Gryffindor Tower. He realised with shock that they were talking about _him_. He was the one whom they were talking about when discussing this person being on another team, most likely Houses, and not wishing him luck as they wanted him to lose the Quidditch game.

"Rude gits," he said to himself and scoffed, storming off. You think you know some people and then they go and do that.

As he was walking through the halls, he noticed Professor Lupin's classroom door was wide open. He hummed, thinking that perhaps he could get another Patronus lesson from him and show off his improved skill and walked up to the door, knocking gently and sticking his head inside the room. "Hello? Professor?" he called out. There was no answer and he shrugged, about to walk away and forget about him. But that's when he noticed it.

His desk drawer was slightly open, showing quills and ink pots inside which he used to grade student's papers. He looked around to make sure the teacher wasn't coming and quickly snuck inside, browsing through his drawer. He found nothing of too much interest, only papers that bored him and books he didn't want to read. He then looked inside the bottom drawer and smiled wildly once he noticed the familiar piece of parchment, bigger than the others and was stacked away with the rest, trying it's best to look inconspicuous. 

He picked it up and got out his wand, putting it against the map and casting the spell he hasn't done in a few weeks. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." The writing began to appear on the parchment and reveal the four creator's names, which he still didn't know of. He opened the map up and took a peek, noticing his own footprints and his name above it. He saw the Headmaster in his office with Professor McGonagall and they were both pacing, as if in a deep conversation. He also spotted Severus in his Potions classroom, most likely brewing something.

Nothing looked too out of the ordinary until he spotted Professor Lupin's name directly in the middle of the kitchens. He wasn't aware that teachers had the right to enter the kitchens and get food. Sure, they worked for the school but weren't there still certain rules? Just like students not being allowed into the kitchens, yet he is an exception. It doesn't stop the occasional rebellious kid sneaking in late at night for a snack, however. Who's to say teachers don't do the same?

He decided to rightfully take back what was his. He knew this map wasn't dangerous and it was a life saver when the time came. He was still mad at Lupin for taking it from him. As he stood up, he desperately hoped that Lupin wouldn't notice the map was gone. His drawer was pretty messy enough as it is so perhaps he'd mistake one of the pieces of parchment for it. He got the brilliant idea of grabbing a spare piece from the drawer and enlarging it's size so it looked as massive as the map, then placed it back in his drawer to fool him. He'd think nothing of it. Brilliant.

He saw that nobody was coming his way and headed for common room to join the meeting, where he knew Flint would be at all the team members throats. The Baron greeted him on the way and he stopped to say a quick hello.

"You're looking much better, Harrison. I hope you're doing well and taking care of yourself," the Baron smiled, despite the fact it still looked quite horrific.

Harry took a step back. "Uh... What do you-"

"Relax, child. Nothing gets past me. I do keep our secrets, remember? You and nobody else can fool me," he said eerily.

Harry sighed and nodded. "Fine. I have been looking after myself and feeling far better. There was a time I wanted to-" He cut himself off quickly before he said something personal he'd later regret. "Nevermind. I did get back something that belongs to me, however."

"What would that be?" the Baron asked.

Harry knew he could trust him as he'd shared multiple secrets with the House ghost and he'd kept them. He showed him the map discreetly. "It shows you anyone at any time and place in the castle. A teacher took it from me because I don't think he trusted me with it but I stole it back. It's the only one in existence, too. Fascinating, right?"

"Remarkable. Make sure you keep a tight grip on that. You wouldn't want it falling into the wrong hands," the Baron said firmly.

Harry nodded yet again and looked down the corridor. "It's always nice talking to you, Baron, but I'm afraid I must leave. Our team has a final Quidditch match and I have to go to the meeting to plan how we're going to win," he said with a cocky grin. "If I'm not there, our Captain will have my head."

"Understandable," the ghost said. "Go. Make sure you think properly and fly high. We have previously won the Quidditch Cup six times in a row, make sure this year can be a seven."

"I will," Harry said and ran for the common room, entering to see Flint throwing his hands up and yelling his usual commands.

* * *

A few days later it was finally time for the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff. If they lost to them, they'd go up against Gryffindor and they'd be so overly ambitious to win, just to try and knock them down a peg. That was exactly the reason why they _didn't_ plan on losing.

After lunch, the school headed out onto the pitch and got set up with their uniforms and brooms. Quickly they all took off into the air and Harry narrowed his eyes at the Hufflepuff Seeker who gulped and tried to ignore the intimidation tactic - a wise move, he'll admit.

Lee Jordan started his annoying commentary and evidently praised the Hufflepuffs whilst bashing the Slytherins and trying to throw them off their game, to no avail. In fact, it just pushed them all to try harder and be more determined to win. He mentally thanked the little swine.

A Bludger came flying straight at Malfoy but he quickly did an impressive flip and it flew straight past him, smacking into one of the Hufflepuff Chasers and taking him down. Eventually, they managed to score forty impressive points in a row and got boo'd by most of the crowd, although they paid no attention to it. Hufflepuff scored twenty and in retaliation Slytherin scored another thirty, beating them by fifty points just thirty minutes into the game.

Flint got ahold of the Quaffle and threw it hard, managing to take down one of the Hufflepuff Keepers. He quickly got back up, however, and continued on whilst glaring at Flint angrily. When she wasn't looking, Crabbe got his Beaters bat and smacked one of the other player's broom, making her fly around uncontrollably. Eventually, Harry caught sight of the Snitch and chased after it with quick speed, the other team's Seeker quickly following after him.

He had to admit he was pretty fast but he wasn't fast enough as soon, Harry caught it in his hand and grinned triumphantly. His team and the Slytherins in the stands all cheered loudly, yet the rest of the school groaned in disappointment and even boo'd him.

"Sorry. Perhaps if you grow longer arms you'll be able to catch it next time," Harry told the Seeker sarcastically as he hung his head in shame. He looked at Harry and pursed his lips, not having a retort. Harry sped quickly to the ground and much to his surprise, Dumbledore stood there in the middle of the field with a massive looking cup.

It was the Quidditch Cup.

He smiled and handed it over to Harry who quickly grabbed it and held it up above his head, gaining pats on the shoulder from his team mates. "Well done, Mr Potter and well done, Slytherin," he said in a soft voice. Harry somehow felt like his heart wasn't truly in it despite his congratulations. The man was supposedly unbiased but he was a Gryffindor and probably wanted his team to lose so his House could win. Too bad it didn't go as planned for him.

On his way back to the school to get changed, his team and Housemates prepared to throw their usual celebration party.

He felt better than he had in days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> This was supposed to be posted earlier but I kept having internet problems and it wouldn't allow me. I think it's fixed now because I can finally update, yay!!


	23. The Showdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trouble in the halls, taking care of some problems and opening the mysterious book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some people have been asking for more dramatic chapters like this again - it's been a work in the making for a while, hiding in my drafts haha. Here you go!
> 
> PS: this chap may be a lil upsetting so read at your own risk, I guess.
> 
> PPS: This chap used to be called 'The Showdown With Seamus' but I felt it gave away too much so I changed it

Sooner than he would have liked, Harry's good mood had come to an end.

"Potter!" Seamus Finnegan's voice rang out in the hallway. "You know what you've done?"

Harry sighed and turned around bored, facing the boy and a pouting Dean Thomas beside him. "No, but do please enlighten me."

"You stole the Quidditch Cup from us, you foul git!" Seamus yelled, face turning red. "We had a proper shot and you ruined it."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Why don't I just go collect it and give it to you even though we won fair and square?" Harry smirked. "Pfft, no chance. Over my dead body." He turned to walk away, ignoring all the gawking eyes as they stared at them, but Seamus' voice called out again.

"You lot didn't win fair and square. You all cheated! You saw what that pig did with the bat."

Harry hummed. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Although, it isn't against the rules for certain Quidditch players to use the bat, so if anyone just so happens to have accidentally got an injury, that's their problem."

"Accidentally? It was deliberate!" Dean finally spoke up.

"Can't be proven," Harry shrugged. 

"Ugh! You're such a-" Seamus growled and reached into his pocket, quickly pulling out something round and lumpy. Harry looked closer and noticed far too late that it was a Dung Bomb - only something that was used for extreme practical jokes. Seamus threw it at him and the bomb hit Harry directly in the face, exploding loudly. Everyone screamed and backed up from the mess.

Harry coughed and tried to run away from the explosion but no matter where he went, the smoke followed him as it stuck to his face, hair and clothes. The smell was horrific, like dirty clothes, rotten food and a stinky animal farm. He briefly heard Seamus and Dean laughing at him, although Seamus was cracking up more to the point where he drew tears. 

Eventually, one of the upper years seemed to take pity on him and helped vanish the smoke with some advanced spells and clean up his clothing. 

"Are you alright there, kiddo?" the Ravenclaw Prefect asked. 

Harry scowled and nodded at him, turning towards Seamus with fury in his eyes. "I will _get you_ for this!" he screamed his voice hearse. "Mark my words, you better watch your back!"

"Looking forward to it, Potter," Seamus cackled.

The Ravenclaw Prefect gently grabbed ahold of his arm and steered him away from the crowd that gathered, trying his best to calm him down. "Relax, kid. We've all been there, it sucks."

"I don't care!" Harry yelled angrily. "He will pay for this!"

The boy eyed him strangely before sighing, leading him to the boy's bathroom to clean up his hair and face. He didn't comment on Harry's threat.

* * *

"What did you have to do that for?" Ron bellowed loudly in the Gryffindor common room. "That was completely unnecessary."

"Not to mention immature," Hermione agreed whilst glaring at Seamus, who gaped at them both.

"Excuse me? Why are you defending him? You're not even pals, are you?" 

Ron stuttered slightly. "Well, I mean... It's complicated, okay? And it's none of your bloody business!" he snapped.

"Neither is this," Seamus glared. "What happened in the hallway is between me, Dean and Potter so just stay out of it and stop meddling."

"I think it involves far more people, Seamus," Hermione crossed her arms. "There was a Prefect who had to step in and help, so we've heard. Am I wrong?"

"No," Seamus glared. "What's that got to do with anything, though?"

"They have a duty to report back to their Head of House and even the Headmaster if anybody is being deceitful and cruel to other students," she reprimanded him. "You could get into serious trouble for this as Dung Bombs can effectively blind and suffocate people if they're not helped quickly enough."

"It's true. Fred and George have had them taken off them many times by Filch, McGonagall and even Dumbledore. They've gotten tons of warnings and detentions for having them here," Ron said. "They got told they could get expelled if they bring them onto the property one more time."

"See?" Hermione said. "Do you want to get expelled?"

"I'm not going to get expelled," Seamus scoffed. "You're all being too dramatic. I have better things to do than listen to you whine about Potter like this. He's probably down in the dungeons, crying over his hurt pride or something."

"No. He's probably in the shower, trying to clean the rest of the Dung Bomb off his skin as that stuff stains pretty badly," Hermione snapped. 

Seamus rolled his eyes and turned his back on them, storming up to the boy's dorm instead, Dean following after him like a puppy. "Good. I hope it smells."

"All because of a Quidditch match," Hermione sighed tiredly. "I'll never understand what the big deal is."

Ron nodded slightly and sat back down on the couch, staring into the fire. Hermione sat next to him and observed him.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "You seem troubled."

"Yeah, I'm okay. It's just-" Ron sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I know he didn't deserve that, y'know? A good slap in the face at times, sure, but not that. It was too far. I hope he's okay," he said quietly.

She smiled at him and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Me, too." They both watched the flames of the fire crackle and burn bright, lost in their own thoughts.

* * *

"Did you get another letter?" Dean asked him as he sat on his bed next to his in their dorm. 

"Yup."

"Is it from her?" he said cautiously. 

Seamus sighed and looked down at the parchment in his hand, waving away the owl and letting it fly out the window. "Obviously. It's just as stupid as the last one. I don't need excuses, I need proper answers," he said frustrated.

"I know this is a difficult time for you, mate. Is there anything I can do to help?" Dean asked.

"I dunno. Get my mum and dad back together, maybe?" he chuckled bitterly, crunching the letter up in his hands. 

"Seamus-" Dean said with a frown.

"Why did they have to tell me they were getting divorced through a damn letter?" Seamus interrupted. "Why couldn't they have asked to talk to me in person? How cowardly is that?" he snapped. "I feel like I don't even know them, at all!"

Dean came over and sat on his bed with him, placing a comforting arm around his best friend's shoulders. "I know, it's alright. Perhaps they were just too busy with everything going on, they couldn't make time. Or maybe they really were scared of your reaction," he tried to suggest, despite knowing it was pathetic.

"Well, they definetly should be. When I see them again, they're going to get an earful," Seamus glared at the wall. 

Dean sat with him for a while until he calmed down and then looked back to the letter. "Are you going to write back?"

Seamus nodded once. "Yes. I'll go to the Owlery later, maybe."

"Want me to go with you?"

"No thanks. I just have to be alone for this," he sighed.

"Okay," Dean smiled. "That's probably for the best."

* * *

Harry was furious and felt humiliated beyond belief. After having the generous Ravenclaw Prefect fuss over him and help fix him up so he looked semi decent, he stormed back to his dormitory and ignored people's mix of concerned and amused gazes. He neither needed pity or to be a laughing stock of the school. What he needed was to get revenge on that cauldron blowing twat. 

**"Youngling, what is wrong?"** his companion asked him as he entered the boy's dorm. 

He noticed they were alone and glared towards her. **"Nessie, I am beyond furious. Someone thought it would be okay to throw a Dung Bomb at me. In public, too!"**

She hissed angrily. **"Who was this? And what is this bomb of dung you speak of?"**

**"It was Seamus Finnegan, an annoying Irish git in my year,"** he scowled. **"And a Dung Bomb is a nasty little object in which you throw at someone, most likely during horrid pranks, and it explodes in your face. It smells disgusting and stains your skin brown and green and makes you look like you've been dragged through the muck. The fog is so difficult to breath in and it burns your eyes. They have to be banned,"** he frowned.

**"Youngling, I am terribly sorry you had to endure that experience,"** Nessie said comfortingly. **"If I was there, I would have bitten the person who did this to you."**

**"Thanks girl, but I couldn't allow that to happen. The Headmaster would know it was you as you're the only snake in the school, at least that I'm aware of, and he'd make me get rid of you. The Ministry might even try to get involved and they'd try to kill you like they're going to do with that stupid Hippogriff,"** he said.

Nessie shook her head disappointingly. She was always down in the dumps when she wasn't allowed to bite someone, however, she knew it was for the best. He vowed to find her someone she could sink her fangs into one day. Someone that would hardly be a burden to society and not missed if they just disappeared or died. **"I understand. Maybe if I bit the old coot, we could just do what we wanted, when we wanted and with nobody to stop us."**

Harry laughed at that, eyes scrunching up. **"Old coot? That's brilliant, I'll have to remember that one,"** he smiled. 

**"Have you thought of any ideas on how to open up your stubborn book yet?"** she asked him.

He bit his lip and shook his head. **"Unfortunately, no. I think Silas is probably our best shot at this point,"** he sighed.

**"Perhaps you could try hissing to it,"** she suggested. 

His eyes went wide and he nodded, quickly reaching for the book and holding the lock delicately in his fingers. **"Open,"** he hissed to it, hoping it would unlock, much like the Chamber did when he commanded it in Parseltongue. Nothing happened, though. He frowned. **"Open!** he yelled. Nothing.

**"Let me try,"** Nessie said, slithering closer to the book. **"Open."** They both waited for several seconds but yet again, nothing happened.

Harry threw the book back inside the drawer and slammed it shut forcefully. **"That was pointless,"** he said moodily.

**"Don't think so negatively,"** Nessie scolded him, whacking him with her tail lightly. **"We'll figure it out eventually, it shall just take time. Did you find out what was moving through the school last year immediately?"**

**"Well, no... It took a bit of research and Silas was very good at helping,"** Harry scratched the back of his head.

**"Exactly. It didn't just happen, it took time and patience, but you got the answers eventually and it was worth it,"** she said encouragingly. **"Despite the fact that it was originally _you_ who let the yellow eyed serpent out..."** she trailed off.

**"Hey! That was an accident,"** he frowned. **"Stupid thing would never shut up, anyway."**

**"That's what you expect from a thousand year old creature,"** Nessie nodded. **"They just want companionship. Although, in that case it was the wrong kind."**

**"Yeah, the Basilisk fell into the hands of Tom Riddle and he manipulated it to do his evil scheming,"** he frowned. **"What do you think would have happened if he didn't manage to take control of the snake?"**

**"I believe it either would have went back to sleep or fell into the commands of another Parselmouth, if it could have found one. In this case, you,"** Nessie winked. 

**"I wouldn't make it do anything bad, though. I'm not _that_ kind of person,"** he said quickly.

**"I know that. You're incredibly good to me,"** she licked his ear softly as a sign of affection, making him smirk. **"The mighty serpent just had bad luck, unfortunately. Such a shame, it could have been a good friend."**

Harry stroked her head gently and they fell into silence for a while. He looked back towards his drawer and saw the familiar piece of parchment, grinned and took it out.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he told the map, pointing his wand at it and watching the ink appear. Nessie watched in fascination as his name and footprints appeared and much to their astonishment, a scribbled drawing in the shape of a snake appeared right next to Harry, as if a child or poor artist had doodled it. He didn't know animals could appear on the map and found it fascinating. Could the owls appear? Would they look like circles with wings and soar quickly across the sheet?

**"What an interesting piece of magic,"** Nessie said. **"I look like a piece of spaghetti, though."**

Harry snorted and didn't comment as he'd probably just make silly jokes. He was more focused on the footprints on the map, searching out some in particular. He ran his fingers across the map in concentration, humming to himself.

He found Severus in his office and was glad there would be no issues there. The Headmaster was in his own office and Lupin appeared to be with him. He didn't care why. For all he knew, the man was in trouble for sneaking into the kitchens for snacks. The thought was slightly amusing. McGonagall was in her own office, thankfully. He didn't see Ron or Hermione's names anywhere and decided they were either at Hagrid's or in their common room. 

He hoped it was Hagrid's because he didn't want Ron to walk in and see what he was going to do in the next ten minutes. He assumed his victim was in the Gryffindor Tower as he couldn't see his name anywhere and quickly grabbed his Invisibility Cloak, saying a quick goodbye to Nessie and promising details later then headed out the door whilst hidden underneath it.

He slowly and quietly walked his way through the halls towards the Gryffindor Tower, an old familiar feeling coming to him and making him feel unpleasant. What nightmares there was in that place. It only seems fitting that something like this can happen in that tower of horrors.

As he nearly reached his destination, he looked to the map and noticed the person he was seeking out suddenly appear on the map. He frowned and stayed still, watching where he was headed. He saw he was heading in the direction of the spiral staircase which took you straight into the Owlery and quickly followed behind him. The boy must have assumed he was alone as he was mumbling to himself miserably.

"-stupid letters, I don't need to deal with this," Harry heard him say angrily. "'We love and support you, but just not each other and that's why we're separating.' Pfft. Such a pathetic thing to tell me over mail," the boy spat as he stormed through the halls.

Harry bit his lip and held back a laugh. This was even better than he'd originally planned. He assumed his parents were splitting up and had told him through a letter, of all things. A bit insensitive of them, he won't lie, but at least he'd never have to deal with that problem.

_'You can use this to your advantage,'_ the voice said softly as he reappeared as promised.

_'You don't think I know that?'_ Harry thought as he ran to the Owlery behind the boy. 

_'Tell me, what do you plan on doing about it?'_ he asked curiously. _'I can provide help if you are stuck. Just say the word.'_

_'Don't worry, voice. I have a plan. Much better than my original,'_ he said mischievously.

_'Is that what I'm called these days? Simply a voice? It doesn't have such a nice quality to it like my previous names given or my current one, I must say,'_ the voice said in disappointment.

_'Well, you've never told me who you are. How am I supposed to know, unless you finally admit the truth?'_ Harry said hopefully.

The voice chuckled deeply. _'In time, my friend. In time.'_

Harry huffed and pouted. _'Fine,'_ he grit out. When he eventually entered the Owlery behind the boy, he stood off to the side in the corner quietly, not saying anything.

_'Keep quiet and just observe for now,'_ the voice commanded. _'Gather as much information as you can before you rush into anything.'_ Harry nodded despite the fact the voice couldn't see, although he knew he'd know. The other boy angrily scribbled nonsense down onto parchment even though Harry couldn't read it, nor cared to.

A Hufflepuff girl about fifteen years old entered as he was grumbling to himself again. 

"You make me so depressed, I hate you both. Thank you for making me miserable," Seamus Finnegan said. The girl's eyes went wide as she listened in, most likely worried for his wellbeing. She opened her mouth to say something but Seamus looked up at her and snapped out, "what are you looking at?" making the girl recoil and return to her own letter. 

A smirk pulled at the corner of Harry's mouth. This was golden - it was as if Seamus was going along with his plan just to make it easier, somehow. He originally planned on sneaking into the Tower and locking him in a Body Bind then throwing multiple Dung Bombs at him, watching how he'd enjoy it, which wouldn't be very much. He'd get no help or sympathy from him and he'd end up suffocating on the smoke and eventually dying. Then everyone would just think Seamus had, yet again, had another explosion mishap. It was foolproof. 

This was far better, though. It would be crueller, it would be gorier and that was pleasing for his sake. It would also be more believable now that he thought about it, given the current circumstances of the boy's life. He just had to wait for the perfect opportunity. 

The girl left after giving Seamus a final glance and receiving yet another nasty glare. "Keep walking," the boy snarled horribly to the innocent girl.

_'And people say_ I'm _rude?'_ Harry thought startled.

_'Focus! He's alone and about to send out a letter, now is your chance.'_

Harry agreed and discreetly closed the Owlery door behind him with a flick of the wand as he crept towards Seamus. It was a breezy day so the boy thought nothing of it, simply assuming the wind closed it. However, as he went to reach for an owl and attach the letter to it's leg, he flicked his wand again and made it fly towards the ground near the open window. 

"Stupid wind," Seamus grit out.

As the boy went to reach for it again, Harry flicked his wand underneath his cloak and it went further towards the large window, slowly creeping him closer against his will. Before he could pick it up, however, Harry pulled the cloak off himself and yelled out loudly to get his attention, startling the boy. He turned around clutching his chest in shock, his eyes widening in absolute fear as Harry grinned nastily at him, holding his wand in his hand.

Seamus looked at it and took a step backwards, and thankfully for Harry, it was towards the open window despite the fact that the boy didn't know it was a massive mistake.

"Potter. What are you doing?" Seamus asked warily.

"No longer putting up with you," Harry glared and ran quickly at him, growling and pushing him hard out the window. He leaned discretely out the large window and watched him fall and fall over fifty feet whilst the boy was screaming in terror. He eventually heard a sickening _crack!_ and knew his head had hit the stone floor below, killing him instantly. There would be no way someone could survive a fall like that unless they were a strong magical being like him or Silas. He'd most likely just end up with a broken arm or leg and some scratches.

Sometimes, on the very rare occasions, it comes in handy not being a puny human. 

He goes over to Seamus' letter and sees it's a silly thing about wanting to meet up with his parents and talk about feelings or some sappy stuff that doesn't interest him. He memorises the handwriting thoroughly then sets it on fire to get rid of the evidence. He gets out a spare piece of parchment that's sitting around and a quill then begins writing his own letter, explaining in sad detail how life was painful for him and his parents ruined his life. How he felt like a failure of a son and it was messing with his ability to perform magic, therefore he also felt like a failure of a wizard. 

He left the note on the table for someone to find after scribbling Seamus' name on it and smiled, throwing the cloak back over himself then leaving. He didn't feel guilty about a thing, even when he heard the screams of the people below as they tried to call for help from the teachers and Madam Pomfrey.

* * *

Ever since the incident, Nessie had taken to being more overly protective than usual. It was as if she'd gone into mother hen mode, somehow. She either coiled around him at nighttime, stayed hidden in his bag during classes or slipped underneath his clothes as he walked through the halls. Only a few amount of people knew about her as they were both very good at keeping her a secret, as to avoid judgement from others or strike fear and have the occasional idiot make a complaint.

So far, to his knowledge, the only people who were aware of her existence were all the Slytherins and they completely adored her, seeing her as the current House mascot which she was proud of. Ron and Hermione knew about her because they were his previous - current - semi - friends who could be trusted before. The Headmaster, Professor McGonagall, Lupin and Severus knew of her, as well as Silas. 

He's seen a few students in the hallways give him curious or even stunned looks when she pokes her head out his collar, however they've never said anything. Most likely shocked at the presence of a snake and a little bit scared to get close in case she bites.

When he asks her why she's suddenly so much more clingy, she says she doesn't want anything to happen to him again as that Dung Bomb incident was scary enough and she has to be around to protect him more. She was proud of the way he got his revenge but seemed paranoid that someone may find out and try to pull the same stunt on him or try to get him into trouble. She didn't want him getting locked away in the 'big bad scary place where wizards scream and wear ugly clothes'. AKA, Azkaban. 

No matter how much he assured her he wouldn't go to prison because his plan worked perfectly as he didn't leave any clues, she still worried her little head off. He was both concerned and touched, but let her do what she wanted.

* * *

He was currently in the Great Hall, all the benches lined up in rows as Dumbledore stood at the front of the hall, a grave look on his face. Some people looked slightly saddened in the crowd, some people looked pale and sick and some people were in tears. A lot of those ones were the Gryffindors, especially McGonagall and Dean Thomas who was sniffing into a tissue grossly.

Nessie was coiled around him under his clothes and offering soft soothing words to calm his irritation. He cringed and looked away from the weepy boy and stroked Nessie's head, wondering what was going on in the room.

"Some of you may be wondering why I've gathered you here tonight," Dumbledore spoke in a sorrowful voice. "And some of you may already be aware. I feel it's best you all know, as this was a student of ours and he deserves the proper respect and send off." There was more sniffs and sobs coming from students and teachers which Harry just ignored. "A third year boy who goes by the name Seamus Finnegan unfortunately passed away recently. I will not share the details with you as it is upsetting and personal, but we wish his family and friends the best of our wishes to get through this difficult time. I know he's in a good place," Dumbledore finished whilst raising his wand and lightening it in a show of admiration and respect.

The students and faculty members slowly started to raise their own wands and Harry frowned. 

"Pfft, as if I'd do that..." he mumbled to himself quietly. 

**"Everyone else is, youngling. Won't you get into trouble?"** Nessie hissed quietly under his shirt. 

He looked around and noticed nobody was paying attention to him, thankfully. He thought back to Seamus. The boy was a bully, he's treated him horribly with cruel words and taunts all this time. He practically tried to murder him in broad daylight. Why should he get a nice send off? Words of compassion? Especially from himself. By now, everyone's wands are in the air and he hears that dreaded voice again.

_'Raise your wand, you fool. I know the boy was mean and hurt you but if you don't, it'll draw suspicion to you and you'll be questioned,'_ he said. _'You're a Slytherin. You can fake compassion if it'll save your skin.'_

Harry knew he was right, despite the fact he was inwardly screaming at the thought of doing this. He raised his wand and grit his teeth until it ached. Thankfully, nobody looked at him funny, yet again, and knew it was the right call to make.

The entirety of the hall kept their wands in the air for a full minute whilst sitting in silence, lost in their own thoughts. He understood they were in mourning but chose to push that aside and lowered his hand at the speed of lightening when the time was appropriate. Some people took the chance to come up front where Dumbledore stood and say some eulogies which he blocked out by closing his eyes and slipping into his Mindscape, imagining himself in a comfortable room with couches and a warm fireplace. 

He sat on the imaginary couch and sighed, relaxing into the soft cushions. He simply listened into the crackling fire and closed his imaginary eyes, enjoying the peace and quiet. He lost track of how long he stayed delved inside his own head, but was pulled out by some gentle whacking on his side from Nessie's tail. He opened his real eyes and looked around to see Dumbledore taking his place at the front again and announcing they could all leave, therefore it must have been several minutes only.

"Well, that was kind of droll, don't you think?" Harry whispered in English to Nessie as he walked quickly back to the dungeons.

**"When you were daydreaming, someone said they would miss the boy's funny way of talking,"** Nessie said. **"I assume they mean his strange accent."**

"And I missed that?" Harry muttered grumpily. "Damn it. Now I'm depressed," he said.

Nessie winked at him. **"Just pretend that isn't what got you down. The funny talking boy is more believable."**

"I would assume so," Harry smirked.

They eventually reached the boy's dorm and Harry let her down. They'd arrived much quicker than everyone else because he wanted to talk to her in private without eavesdropping. 

**"Ness, do you think perhaps I made a mistake by doing this?"** he asked curiously, talking in Parseltongue.

She looked up at him sceptically. **"If you were making mistakes, I would stop you. I wouldn't allow you to make an idiot of yourself,"** she said. **"You have a reputation to maintain."**

He smiled down at her. **"Okay, thank you. I'm glad to hear that."**

**"What made you think that?"**

**"I'm not sure. Just seeing everyone's faces..."** He frowned, trying to get his words correct. **"It made me think that even though Finnegan deserved what he got, the people around him didn't necessarily deserve to feel so sad. And I'm the one who made that happen."**

**"Youngling, they were the people who left you when you got attacked in the hallway. They were the people who were going to let _you_ die. They laughed at you, remember?"** she said vehemently. **"You shouldn't feel pity for them, you should be mocking them because they deserve the torment back."**

Harry stared at the far wall in concentration then nodded. **"Y'know what? You're absolutely right! I don't know what was going through my head,"** he snorted.

**"You are a teenager,"** Nessie said in amusement. **"It's normal for you to be emotional every now and then."** Harry just pursed his lips at her and rolled his eyes.

* * *

It was late at night and Harry needed to go to the bathroom. He quickly headed to the boy's toilets and was back in his bed within a minute, however, as he went to pull the curtains on his bed closed, he felt a strong pull coming from his bedside table. It was curious as he'd never felt a tug quite like this before. He opened up the drawer and noticed that the surge of magic was coming from the mysterious locked book.

He picked it up and it felt tingly to the touch, as if bursting with magic and ready to explode with sparks which would be quite amusing if he could just get it open. He'd went back to the library several times under his Invisibility Cloak in search of a key and found absolutely nothing. Even checking in the Restricted Section after sneaking in carefully got him nowhere. It was a lost cause.

Something felt different this time, though. Like it was calling out to him and demanding his attention, yet he didn't know how to provide it.

_'You're stupid for a smart person,'_ the voice said in exasperation. 

"Shut up, you're not helping," Harry mumbled to himself, although aiming it at the voice.

_'Aren't I? You don't see your mistake, do you?'_

"What mistake? Is there something on here?" Harry asked, turning the book over and checking it for anything out of the ordinary that would somehow come in useful. A small key or password glued to it, perhaps. Nothing. 

_'Not on the book, but holding it? Yes,'_ the voice said amusingly. Harry frowned hard and looked towards his hands that were literally the only things touching the book at this precise moment.

"Uh..."

_'It's you! You're the key to unlocking the book,'_ the voice said frustratedly. _'You always have been, ever since you first picked it up in from the shelf. I dare say, even before that.'_

Nessie had woken up from her peaceful sleep when she began to hear him mumble and eyed him in concern. **"Youngling? What troubles you?"**

**"Just _him_ again,"** he glared. Nessie knew exactly who he was talking about as he spent many days and nights telling her about his conflicting feelings on the mysterious voice, wondering who and what he could possibly be and having her assure him he wasn't actually going mad. 

**"What is he saying to you?"** she asked.

**"Apparently, I'm the key to opening up this book,"** he told her in confusion.

Nessie looked thrilled, much to his shock. **"Really? That's wonderful news!"**

**"Um, how is this wonderful? I don't understand any of this,"** he said in disbelief.

**"Mystery man is giving you the answers, youngling. You didn't know anything before, did you?"** Harry shook his head. **"See? Despite the fact he can be annoying, he's choosing to help. So you may want to try listening."**

**"I guess it couldn't hurt to try,"** he said slowly. He nodded his head and spoke to the voice. "Alright, what do I do?"

_'Finally. I was wondering when you'd stop gossiping with your companion about me like old hags,'_ the voice grumbled.

"Like you even know what we talked about," Harry scoffed.

_'Don't be oblivious, child. I know everything there is to know in this universe. That means I know every language on this Earth - both muggle and magical. Nothing is off limits to me,'_ it said in pride. Harry gaped whilst it continued on. _'Now, I suggest you close your mouth and follow the advice of your snake by listening to me.'_

Harry gulped and agreed. "Okay."

_'I simply get an 'okay'? Not even a 'yes, sir' or 'thank you for this great honour I am about to receive.' The youth of today is truly going downhill,'_ the voice scowled. _'Alright, down to business. The book works in a clever and mysterious way. Just as you are bonded to your companion and therefore share each other's magic, you must do the same with the book. Don't worry, this will not harm your bond with your companion in any way.'_

Harry nodded. "That seems simple enough, I suppose. I already have experience in that area," he said as he glanced towards Nessie. She just waited patiently, knowing he'd explain everything further to her later. 

_'Not as simple as you might think,'_ the voice said gloomily. _'The book doesn't just open to anyone. It requires extreme trust and, as you are now aware, the ability to bond with the owner. This means sharing your magic with it and therefore, it shares it's magic with you. It can make you stronger, more powerful. That's why it's best not to let it fall into the wrong hands. The book is sentient, it chooses wisely,'_ the voice said with a hint of a smile. _'Congratulations. You have been chosen.'_

"Well, then. Thank you for this great honour," he grinned, repeating the voice's earlier words. 

_'If you could see my physical body, and I doubt you would want to, I would smack you so hard...'_ it sighed. Harry ignored it and pouted. _'You're wondering how it can be opened when there's no key for the lock.'_

"Yes! I tried everything I can, nothing works."

_'You've already completed the task,'_ it said softly. _'Once in possession of the book, you must commit an act of murder to begin the process of connecting your magic, hence why you've been feeling more pulled towards it lately. It's calling out to you, it's ready.'_

Harry's eyes went wide. "Why do I have to commit murder to open a book?" he asked in shock. 

_'You already have, you don't need to act on it again,'_ the voice commented. _'As for the act itself? Once you see the contents of the book, you'll understand exactly why.'_

Harry was suddenly extremely anxious about what he was going to find inside the book once it opened. Was it some kind of trap like last year with Riddle's diary? It didn't feel like anything bad, however. It radiated something nice and he doubted the voice would lead him into danger. He's always had his best interest at heart, kept him out of trouble when he needed it and helped him with his plans.

"How do I connect my magic to open it?" he relented.

_'I'm glad you're seeing sense. Lay your hand on the lock and simply put your trust in the book, let your magic flow through your arm and hand then into the item. Feel the surge to reach out and connect,'_ it urged him gently. Harry did so and saw his arm was glowing a golden bright colour whilst tingling pleasantly. _'Now, let the magic from the book come back to you and rush through your veins. Understand it means no harm, it's here to protect, to give, to enlighten... Well done.'_ Eventually, the feeling began to disappear in his arm and with a sudden clatter, the lock burst open right in his hand.

"Did I do it?" he asked.

**"I think you did, youngling. That was amazing,"** Nessie said enthusiastically. **"I've not seen something that bright and fancy before."**

**"I haven't done something like that before, either."**

_'Have fun reading,'_ the voice said with a deep chuckle. _'I shall be around if you need me.'_

Harry sighed and with a look towards Nessie who nodded at him encouragingly, he opened the book up. It wasn't something he was expecting, at all. The print was weird and the pages were old and dusty. This must have been years old. The drawings - more like symbols - were strange and he couldn't identify them. There was also horrific looking images of something similar to a Dementor, but not quite, and it freaked him out a little.

He just dove right into the pages.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> I know I told people there'd be no more character deaths any time soon, but I lied ;) Be glad Remus didn't still have the map or he'd know Harry was there with Seamus as he died and he'd be in soooo much trouble.


	24. Tale Of The Three Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reading an important book, taking final exams and Buckbeak's demise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the moment you've all been waiting for, to see what's in the book. enjoy!

** **

** _The Tale Of The Three Brothers_ ** __

_Three brothers, travelling along a lonely, winding road at twilight reached a deep treacherous river where anyone who attempted to swim or wade would drown. Learned in the magical arts, the brothers conjured a bridge with their wands and proceed to cross_

_Halfway through the bridge, a hooded figure stood before them. The figure was the enraged spirit of Death, cheated of his due. Death cunningly pretended to congratulate them and proceeds to award them with gifts of their own choosing_

_The eldest brother, a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence. Death granted his wish by fashioning the Elder Wand from a branch of a nearby elder tree standing on the banks of the river. The second brother, an arrogant man, chose to further humiliate Death, and asked for the power to recall the deceased from the grave. Death granted his wish by crafting the Resurrection Stone from a stone picked from the riverbank. The third and youngest brother, who was the most humble and wise, did not trust Death and asked for something to enable him to go forth without Death being able to follow. A reluctant Death, most unwillingly, handed over a part of his own Invisibility Cloak_

_The three brothers took their prizes and soon went on their separate ways_

_The eldest brother travelled to a village where a wizard whom he had quarrelled lived. He sought out a duel and fought the wizard using the wand, instantly killing the latter_

_Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the eldest brother walked to an inn not far from the duelling site and spent the night there. Taken by his conscience and lust of the Elder Wand's power, the eldest brother boasted of this wand gifted by Death and his own invincibility_

_That very night, Death transfigured to a murderous wizard. The unknown murderous wizard crept to the inn as the eldest brother slept, drunk from wine. The wizard slit the oldest brother’s throat for good measure and stole the wand. That was when Death took the first brother_

_The second brother returned to his home where he lived alone. Turning the stone thrice in his hand the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him, much to his delight. Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally, the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing, committed suicide by hanging from his house's balcony so as truly to join her. That was when Death took the second brother for his own_

_Death searched for the youngest brother as years passed but never succeeded. It was only when the third brother reached a great age, he took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. Greeting Death as an old friend, they departed this life as equals_

Harry stared transfixed at the pages of the book, amazed by the story. He'd previously read about Death before in another book entirely but that one was more scary than he'd like to admit and involved a whole lot of dying and Dementors sucking out souls which still had him shivering.

Death seemed... different in this book. He graciously gave the brothers gifts and let them appreciate life until their ultimate downfalls which he had to admit, they kind of brought on themselves. The first brother: he got too cocky and big headed, needing to be taken down a notch. The second brother: suicide - self inflicted. The third brother: he lived an old life and ultimately had his happy ending until he met Death again. That one was pretty nice and decent, to be fair. 

He supposes this is why the voice suggested murder to open the book, considering that's essentially it's complete contents. It would only make sense. Why would he have to play with a basket of puppies, instead?

He looks through the book some more and sees some of the symbols he can't decipher on some more pages. He hasn't learned about any of these in his Ancient Runes class, suspiciously enough. It appears to be some sort of triangle with a circle in the middle and a single line all the way through it. He thinks that perhaps he should do some research on that.

He definetly can't ask Professor Babbling. What if this was some form of Dark Magic, hence them not learning it in class? She would demand to know where he'd learned it from and he may not be able to come up with a viable excuse.

There were some snippets he tried putting together that he found quite intriguing, however. Apparently the three brothers went by the names of Peverell and their descendants were known to have carried on the objects given to them by Death, such as the Resurrection Stone, the Elder Wand and Invisibility Cloak, unless they had unfortunately fallen into the wrong hands. Although, the objects were semi-sentient therefore they'd know if they could trust their owners.

After reading some more, he discovered these objects were the only three to exist in the Wizarding World. Apparently, some people had tried to manipulate their magic and recreate the items but to no avail. It had disastrous consequences and they'd either end up blown up and badly injured or dead. There was more he found after stumbling onto pages covered in, yet again, more of the drawings which looked familiar to runes. 

**__** __

_** The Deathly Hallows ** _

_The Deathly Hallows are three highly powerful magical objects supposedly created by Death and given to each of three brothers in the Peverell family._

_They consisted of the Elder Wand, an immensely powerful wand that was considered unbeatable, the Resurrection Stone, a stone which could summon the spirits of the dead, and the Cloak of Invisibility, which, as its name suggests, renders the user completely invisible._

_According to legend, he who possesses these three artefacts would become the Master of Death._

Harry frowned down at the book in thought. He had an Invisibility Cloak of his own. What did that mean necessarily? If the book suggests that the objects he now knows which are called the Deathly Hallows can't be recreated by anyone and the Peverell brother's descendants carried them on, does this mean he's related to the three brothers?

He reads quickly back over the passages to make sure he hasn't missed anything and sighs. He remembers how it does briefly mention that they could fall into the wrong hands, however the cloak has never betrayed him once. Never strayed too far from him and has always came to him when he Summoned it. Always kept him safe and invisible, never 'accidentally' falling off and revealing him, therefore spoiling his plans and ultimately betraying him.

No, he trusts the object and he feels it trusts him. It definetly must be in the correct hands; his hands. He feels confused and conflicted, deciding it's probably best to find out more on these Deathly Hallows and definetly the Peverell brothers if he can. He knows for sure that the Slytherins take pride in their heritage and usually keep books on these sorts of things, as well as tapestries in their homes. 

Maybe if he's sneaky and subtle enough, he could ask someone for a book so he can look through it and check his own family history. It couldn't help to know where he came from, right?

* * *

"Hey Daphne, may we talk in private for a moment?" Harry asked the blonde haired girl quietly in the common room, gesturing for her to follow him into a corner for privacy. He knew she was probably the best person to go to for this kind of thing as she was a bit oblivious to social cues at times and seemed overly fond of him for some reason, which he could use to his advantage.

She smiled up at him and followed. "Of course, what do you need to talk about?"

"I hear that the people here like to keep tabs on their old family heritage, which I find quite fascinating and admirable. You see, I don't know much about my own family considering I never grew up with them," he shrugged. "But recently, I've just been rather curious, however I don't know where I can go to for such information. So, do you know where? Is there any books on these sorts of things?" 

She nodded and beamed at him. "Well, of course there is! All the Pureblood families have either tapestries magically painted onto rooms in their manors or mansions and there are books which contain multiple amounts of information on these topics. You'll find that your father most likely had a book about it too, passed down from his father, considering they were Purebloods," she said pleasantly. 

"Oh, that is interesting to know," he said bewildered. "What are these books called and where can I find them?"

"The book is called 'The Sacred Twenty-Eight' and it includes the names of all the Pureblooded families that go way back into the 1930's. My family is on there, as well as the Malfoys and everyone else here, obviously," she rolled her eyes. "Even the Weasleys, if you can believe it."

"Wait, really?" he asked with wide eyes. "So, nobody in that family has ever married outside of Pureblood heritage? I would have assumed because they seem so accepting of muggles. Especially Arthur Weasley. He works in the Ministry in the Muggle Artifacts department."

She shook her head quickly. "Nope. It's one of the very minor good things that's actually come from that family. Everyone assumed over the years they would have married someone of a lower status than themselves, but even that family seems to stick to old traditions."

Harry ignored any quips towards the Weasleys as he wasn't in the mood for joking or mockery right now. He had a set goal to complete. "Alright. Where can I find one of these 'Sacred Twenty-Eight' books?"

"Unless someone is willing to provide one for you by giving you theirs, which I highly doubt as their families like to keep their claws into them, I would suggest trying the library. Perhaps in the Restricted Section, although I doubt you'll find anything. The Headmaster is a bit uppity and probably banished stuff like that," she scowled. "Nothing wrong with wanting to stick to traditions and learn... If you're really desperate, you can go to some bookshops and try there."

"Which book shops? Surely Flourish and Blotts wouldn't sell something like that, would they?" he asked baffled. 

"Of course not! I was talking about Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley," she said contemplatively. 

He nodded. "Okay then."

"What?" she blinked. "Okay? You'd actually go there? Even I hardly go there unless I'm with my daddy."

"Well, unlike you, I don't have one so I can manage by myself." She bit her lip and swallowed. "It'll be fine, you're sure they're sold there?"

"I promise. You can find mostly anything about... well, anything in there," she said in assurance. 

"Alright. Thank you Daphne, you've been most helpful," he smiled.

She grinned and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Anytime." As he began to walk away, she hissed slightly to get his attention. "If you find anything interesting, tell me?"

"Sure," Harry agreed and walked away. He was lying, of course. He'd tell nobody anything.

* * *

Harry was absolutely fine with going back to Knockturn Alley as he'd been there before a few times and felt comfortable, considering he's good at both defensive and offensive magic if he needs to use it and he's a magical being who can protect himself well. He also still has his amazing disguises which includes his long hair and large hooded robes so he's not recognised.

The problem was he didn't know how he'd get there. Okay, there was the option of using the map to sneak through the tunnels and back into Hogsmead then through the floo like he did last time when he went to see Ragnok. However, that plan was very risky as there were multiple students around last time and it was easy to slip by. What if he got caught this time? He would get in so much trouble. He's cunning, yes, but accidents and clumsiness can unfortunately happen.

If Silas returned, he could ask him to collect it for him. He's sure the man would have no issues with it. He's always been so helpful, especially with the Basilisk parts. 

But, he thinks the best idea is to wait until the summer holidays when the timing is much better. He'll be impatient, of course, but the wait will be worth it. He doesn't even know where he's going to be spending his summer considering he most certainly won't be allowed back at the Dursley's home, so it's not like he'll be missed if he sneaks around. He's a free boy, he can do what he wants. 

He just hopes his living conditions won't be so bad that he ends up on the streets. If that's the case, at least he'll have Nessie. He's a Slytherin, his self preservation will surely keep him alive.

* * *

Exams had finally begun and despite the fact that most of the school was groaning in agony from headaches or moaning in misery from tiredness and stress, Harry found himself having fun. He loved his work - if he didn't, he wouldn't be taking every class this year. He studied as hard as he could and soaked up everything like a sponge. There were definetly times where he felt a little overwhelmed and wanted to punch a wall because _some people_ such as Ronald Weasley just wouldn't stop mumbling to himself in the library and complaining.

"Oi!" he whisper shouted to the boy so the librarian wouldn't hear. "Keep it down, I'm trying to work and so are other people. Look around you," he gestured to the other tables where students were angrily glaring at the red haired boy.

Ron turned red in embarrassment. "Alright, sorry," he whisper shouted back. "Hermione's confusing me, though. She's taking all her exams at the same time. How is that even possible?"

Harry shrugged. "So? She could be doing two at once in the hall with permission from the teachers."

"You can't do that," Ron said. "There's a chance the answers could be on the other pieces of parchment and that's cheating."

"Hermione wouldn't cheat, we both know this," Harry deadpanned whilst staring at him. "She studies just as hard as me. I guarantee she'll pass all, or at least most of her exams and there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for it."

"What's yours?" Ron challenged. "You're taking every class this year, too. How do you plan on passing everything?"

Harry grinned. "All year I've had a plan with the teachers and it's been working amazingly. You see, I do work for one class such as Potions on Friday and if I happen to have Charms that day too, Flitwick will gather up all my homework for me that I missed. Then the next week, I'll attend Charms to catch up and Snape will gather up my Potions homework for me to catch up on. Does that make sense?"

Ron frowned and mumbled quietly, trying to put the pieces together slowly. After a minute he nodded. "Yeah, I think so... That's why you miss class sometimes. I've noticed every couple of weeks you don't attend Transfiguration or Divination, then you appear as if nothings wrong. Then you don't show up to Snape's class and a week later, you're completing all his potions."

Harry nodded. "Exactly!" he whisper shouted happily. "You're getting it. And that's what I'm going to be doing with my exams, the teachers have allowed it."

Ron pursed his lips and looked away. "Alright, fine. You have a proper excuse. Doesn't explain Hermione though."

"Not my issue," Harry shrugged a shoulder and went back to studying, ignoring the conversation as it no longer interested him. Ron huffed in annoyance and ignored him back, staring at his own parchment and books in obvious confusion. He picked up his quill and began chewing the end of it, humming happily.

Harry realised it was one of the edible ones you get from a shop in Diagon Alley. How this boy was going to pass his exams was beyond him.

* * *

As the week went by and they all started completing their exams for classes one by one, Harry was happy to note that he'd most certainly passed. Some teachers had the courtesy of telling them when they passed or failed, such as Severus and Professor Flitwick - Harry luckily always received a pass mark, and some were too stern or out of their minds to tell them what their marks were, such as Professor McGonagall and Trelawney, the latter who insisted that they had to have the Inner Eye to see or simply be patient until the results came back.

It was both frustrating and hysterical.

Unfortunately, the real challenge out of all the exams was surprisingly enough his Defence Against the Dark Arts class, a subject in which he excelled in. He doesn't know how it happened or why, it just did.

They had to tackle an obstacle course of all things, which he found ridiculous as he'd been prepared to sit down and complete an exam on paper. He got through most of it unscathed thankfully, tackling small magical beings with no issue and climbing through small spaces. He was almost finished and thought about how easy it really was, how many spells they had to use which wasn't very many and it was laughable. That was until he saw that wretched wardrobe again. 

It was rattling about and the doors were banging, clearly about to burst open. He took in a deep breath and clutched his wand tightly, scared it may just snap in his hand. Suddenly, the doors burst open and out came the familiar shape he was all too familiar with. It was the dreaded Dementor soaring towards him and leering menacingly above him, making the air turn icy cold. The ground around him began to frost over and his breath came out with puffs of cold air.

"We... are coming... for you..." the chilling voice of the Dementor spoke. "We are... close... We... are near..." it taunted. Harry shakily raised his wand as his bottom lip trembled. He was alone with no friends or Professor Lupin to save him now. He was going to die, this was it. The moment he'd been waiting for like Death's Book said. He'd die by a Dementor. He could feel his heart speed up and knew it was going to give out any second. "Pathetic... being. Merely... a morsel... to us..."

Harry suddenly heard footsteps and a familiar scent hit him in the nose, making him feel slightly calmer and warmer despite his dreary death approaching. He felt like he recognised the scent somehow but he couldn't turn his head to see who or what it was due to fear paralysing him, as if he'd been his with the Petrifying Spell. He knew one thing, though: he needed the owner of the scent to disappear right now. It needed to get away to safety and not get caught in the middle of this.

He didn't want it to get hurt and he most certainly didn't want it to see him die. That would hurt his pride and traumatise who or whatever it was. 

"Expecto Patronum!" a very familiar voice called out loudly and suddenly, the air around him began to warm up as the Dementor hissed at the bright light, recoiling back and looking furious. "Riddikulus!" 

The Dementor flew back into the wardrobe and the doors slammed shut behind it, locking firmly. Harry began to see black spots as he tried to catch his breath, finding it difficult. He was shivering uncontrollably and much to his embarrassment, tears streamed down his face as he sobbed. Just as his knees gave out, strong arms caught him and hoisted him up, not letting him smack face first into the floor. The last thing he remembered was a soothing voice mumbling that he'd be okay, right before he passed out.

* * *

He woke up in the hospital wing dazed and confused, wondering if what happened before was all a bad dream and instead he'd gotten hit by a spell or fallen down the stairs. He began to believe the lies until Madam Pomfrey entered the room and fussed over him, bringing him back to reality.

"Mr Potter, you're finally awake! I was wondering if you'd slipped into a coma at one point," she said in a worrisome voice.

"What happened?" he asked groggily, clutching his sore head.

"You don't remember? Oh, of course you mustn't. You were under a lot of stress, let me get you something." She ran off and came back a minute later, forcing him to drink something that immediately made his headache disappear. "Better?"

"Much, thank you."

"What was the last thing you remember?" she asked him.

"I was doing my exams, I think... Oh my god, did I pass or fail?" he asked in shock. "What one was I doing?"

She laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, it's quite alright. Yes, you were in the middle of your exam but having a medical accident does not affect your grade. In fact, Professor Lupin was incredibly worried about you."

"Professor Lupin?" He stared ahead and suddenly it all came back to him. "Oh..."

"Yes, oh. He had to carry you here from your exam outside all by himself, fretting over you the entire time. I had to practically kick him out," she sighed. 

"Well, tell him thanks I guess," Harry mumbled embarrassed. 

"Why don't you tell him yourself?" she asked, looking towards the doorway.

Harry turned around and saw Lupin poking his head in the door awkwardly. "May I come in or is it a bad time?"

Madam Pomfrey looked towards him on the bed and Harry nodded his consent. "You get five minutes," she said to Lupin. "My patient needs to rest. Something you're all too familiar with," she gave Lupin a knowing look that Harry didn't understand.

Lupin just smiled halfheartedly and nodded. "Of course." Madam Pomfrey left them alone and Lupin sat down on the chair next to Harry's bed. "How are you feeling, Harry?"

"Better than before, I guess. There's no Dementors around to kill me so that's uplifting," he grumbled under his breath. 

Lupin appeared to have heard him and sighed deeply. "I really am sorry, Harry. I had no idea... I completely forgot how it would react to you being there. I was too busy dealing with all the other students and their course work that it slipped my mind."

Harry stared at him for a moment, taking in his appearance. He looked as if he hadn't had a proper nights sleep and had a look of sadness on his face, most likely guilt. He just sighed back. "It's fine, don't worry about it. It happens to all of us. At least you got me here and helped me with the Boggart, right?" he said with a weak smile.

Lupin gave him one back and they sat in silence for a moment, gathering their thoughts.

Harry was so confused with his own behaviour at the current moment. If it were anyone else, he'd be at their throat and ripping them apart. Figuratively or literally. He'd never _forgive_. Yet somehow, he feels as if he doesn't want to see the man sad over him and wants to see him smile again. He knows he's a good teacher from experience and has some level of trust for him. He knows it was only an accident. Yet that wouldn't stop him from destroying anyone else and everything they love if they were in this situation.

So what makes this man so different from the rest? He doesn't feel as if he's being controlled with magic. He doesn't feel cursed or as if he's poisoned. He's just confused. Oddly enough though, the man's presence alone is enough to make him calm down and push aside those thoughts for now. 

"You passed your exam, just so you know," Lupin told him with a smile. 

"Really?" Harry asked wide eyed.

"Of course. Don't think that what happened ruined your chances of success, that was my fault only. You did admirably during the rest of it," Lupin said proudly.

"Thank you!" Harry beamed with a grin. "I think I've passed most of them by now then."

"Obviously you have. Why wouldn't you? You're incredibly clever," Lupin smiled widely. 

"Heh," Harry chuckled lightly and went to thank him again when Madam Pomfrey came back inside the room. 

"Five minutes are up. I would know, I set a timer," she said firmly. 

Harry snorted and nodded, following her orders of chugging back some potions to help him sleep then laid down in bed, immediately falling into a dream land once his eyes closed.

* * *

Harry was walking outside in the yard with Nessie by his side, letting her stretch her scales as she called it amusingly and enjoying the sunshine. She was giving him words of praise for how well he'd done during his exams and was still in her mother hen mode, even more so after what happened with the Boggart. It was funny to hear her threaten to bite it. He didn't tell her that wasn't even possible.

As they both each strolled and slithered around in the grass, he caught sight of Ron and Hermione in the distance having an altercation with no other than the Minister of Magic. It was like they were both trying their best to always get expelled, even now during exam times. He saw Ron yell something angrily at Fudge and the man glared, saying something back. Hermione interfered and Harry pursed his lips in irritation, walking closer and hiding behind some bushes nearby to listen in. He finally caught snippets from their conversation.

"-should tell them to go home! They have no right being here," Ron said whilst throwing his hands up in the air. 

"They have every right by means of the law," Fudge said hotly. "What is going to happen is between myself, the Ministry and the school. No school children should be getting involved."

"It also involves Buckbeak who you're sentencing to death," Ron spat. "Does he get no say in this?"

"I think it lost 'it's say' as you call it when it attacked two children of Hogwarts, don't you?" Fudge raised an eyebrow. 

"Oh please, that was an accident! They happen. Buckbeak is a good Hippogriff, Hagrid can take good care of him," Ron pleaded.

"You mean the man who got expelled from this school as a student, had his wand snapped and is only only the premises to try and run a class that he ultimately failed in taking care of as he nearly got two children killed by the very animal we plan to execute?" Fudge demanded. "Don't be silly, boy!"

"But-"

"There's no buts! This is the law and an adult, professional, legal manner. You have no say, now go back indoors or enjoy the sunshine, but stay as far away from this area as possible or I will personally make sure you are both sent back home and never to return as a student again!" Fudge yelled, storming off.

Hermione teared up as she saw the executioners sharpen their blades and Ron growled angrily, face turning red. They both stormed back up to the castle furious, muttering to each other about the sheer unfairness of the situation. 

Harry smiled triumphantly. This was brilliant, the stupid bird was going to get what it rightfully deserved and for once, no amount of meddling from those two could stop it from happening. He had a small new amount of respect for Fudge despite the fact that most other people would disagree.

If they did plan on doing something, which he hoped they would for once, he could then go to the Minister and tell him what they planned on doing, therefore getting them both kicked out of school just like he promised. This was gold.

He'd just have to wait for the perfect opportunity. No use in rushing, they still have several hours left until time is up. He heads back indoors and eventually has to take one of his final exams, Divination. 

Professor Trelawney took students into her class one by one, Harry noticing Ron coming down the ladder and looking moody, muttering about her being a fraud. By the time it was his turn, he was grumpy and wheezy when entering the room. It was a flashback to a recent event. The class was dark and there were candles lit everywhere, fog filling the room with no open windows for proper ventilation. It was also stifling hot and he began sweating madly, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible.

"Take a seat, my dear, and gaze into the orb. Tell me... What do you see?" Trelawney said in a drawn out voice.

"Um, nothing much," Harry said awkwardly. 

"Nothing?" she raised her eyebrows.

He sighed and decided to make stuff up to please her. "I see a magical creature," he shrugged. 

"Much like yourself?" she asked curiously. 

"No, more like a Hippogriff, I think," he hummed thoughtfully, deciding to make up an amusing story that could possibly freak her out.

"Ah. And what is this Hippogriff doing? Is it flying, soaring through the air?" she asked with whilst writing notes down.

Harry snorted quietly but disguised it as a cough. "Nope. It has it's head cut off and there's blood everywhere." Trelawney's eyes were wide behind her glasses and he continued on. "Now that I think about it, I believe it's the Hippogriff Hagrid owns. Too bad."

"Is there a shadowed figure behind it appearing with a large axe?" Trelawney asked.

"I believe there is, actually!" Harry nodded quickly, stifling his laugh. "I think it's the executioner. And I think I see Hagrid crying," he said with sadness in his voice.

Trelawney scribbled it all down onto parchment whilst humming and nodding enthusiastically. "Not surprising, at all," Trelawney said. "Well, my dear, I believe you may have the makings of a true Seer in the future if you just continue to apply yourself and delve deep into the art," she said with excitement. "Well done!"

"So, did I pass?" he asked.

"I'm afraid I cannot divulge that information to you," she spoke in a soft voice. "If you truly have the makings of a Seer, you shall have to see it for yourself. Otherwise, wait until the official exam results are ready to be produced at the end of the year."

"Great," Harry sulked. As he stood up and went to head for the exit, Trelawney's voice suddenly bellowed out into the room, starling him.

"It will happen tonight!" she gasped. "The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers! His servant has been chained these twelve years! Tonight, before midnight, the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master! The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than he ever was! Tonight, before midnight, the servant will set out to rejoin his master!" she finished calling out loudly with a final gasp, falling forwards onto the table and twitching slightly. 

Harry watched in shock, unsure of what to do. Did he just witness a real prophecy? If so, he's unsure what to do with that. Should it be reported to the Headmaster? Maybe Severus. 

Trelawney cleared her throat and sat up, rubbing her eyes as if nothing happened. "Sorry dear, I must have dozed off."

"You just-" he gaped. "Do you remember what you just said?"

"I believe we were in the middle of an exam, however you did splendidly," she smiled.

He frowned and sighed, deciding to let it go. "Yeah, thanks," he mumbled and jumped down the trapdoor, hurrying back towards the safety of his common room.

On the way there however, he was stopped by two miserable looking Gryffindors. Hermione and Ron. They were both blocking his way towards his destination and Ron was holding a letter in his hand.

"Um. Move out the way," he said with a glower.

"Not until we show you this," Hermione said whilst gesturing towards the letter. Ron shoved it in his hands and Harry read it over, noticing it was from Hagrid and explaining how he lost the entire case with Buckbeak and he was going to get executed at sunset tonight.

"Why are you showing me this?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Hermione and Ron shared a look and she spoke up patiently. "You have an Invisibility Cloak, don't you?"

Harry glared at her and crossed his arms defiantly. "What of it?"

"We'd like to use it tonight. Actually, now would be a great time, too..." she said with an awkward voice. 

"Why? So you can go gallivanting around the castle like usual? With _my_ cloak? What are you going to do with it, huh? Sneak down to Hagrid's and comfort him in his time of need? He's a grown man, he can take care of himself."

"We just want to look out for him and make sure he's okay!" Hermione cried. "He'd do the same for any one of us."

"Can we use it or not?" Ron snapped out impatiently.

"No, you may not use it and defile it with your filthy hands and wicked ways," Harry snarled.

"I knew this was a bad idea asking him," Ron spoke to Hermione who looked defeated. "We'll just have to find another way to get down there."

"There's no other way. If we're caught, we're done for. The cloak was our only chance," she said whilst looking back towards Harry with desperation in her eyes. "We weren't going to steal it from you, if that's what you were thinking. We were going to ask you to come along."

"Why would I want to do that?" Harry cringed. "After what the thing did."

Ron turned red but Hermione continued on. "Because it's your cloak and you should be around to protect it, wherever it goes. Plus, Hagrid actually likes you."

"I don't know why," Ron mumbled rudely. 

"As honoured as I am," Harry smiled sweetly, "I'm afraid I have to decline. I have much better things to do, like knitting jumpers and the occasional stabbing."

They both blinked at him before scowling. "You're unbelievable," Hermione frowned. "Why are you like this? How can you be like _this_?"

"It's who I am," he shrugged with ease. "Get used to it or get lost."

They both turned around and stormed away, mumbling to themselves in annoyance. "Y'know, I really thought you'd somehow changed and turned nicer when you visited me in the hospital wing!" Hermione yelled out in the hallway. "I guess I thought wrong."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Harry spat and stormed off back towards the dungeons, leaving them to fixate on their silly bird problems he really doesn't care about.

* * *

"Can't we just steal it from him?" Ron asked Hermione as they walked through the hallways.

"Ron! Of course we can't!" she said in shock.

"Why not?" he asked grumpily.

"Multiple reasons. One: we'd need to sneak into the Slytherin common room, then the boy's dorms and steal it, which would be practically impossible. Two: he's a Slytherin, he'd immediately know something was up and if something of his was missing. Three: it's his property and we promised we wouldn't steal it," she finished.

"No, you promised. I said no such thing," he shook his head. 

"We can't," she said in exasperation. "If I weren't so nice and honourable, I'd probably agree."

Ron huffed and they looked towards the yard, seeing Hagrid's house in the distance. "It's nearly sunset."

"I know..." she sighed.

"Maybe if we're just really quiet," Ron whispered.

"Ronald-"

"No, shh!" he put a hand against his lips and smirked, grabbing her arm and dragging her across the yard quickly. She rolled her eyes but bravely followed behind him, knowing it was extremely reckless to do such a thing but they'd done worse before.

They eventually reached the hut and banged on the door, calling out for Hagrid. The man opened the door immediately and gaped at them, letting them in.

"What're ye doin' here? Ye should be in school, no messin' around like this," he lightly scolded them. "Ye could get inter some serious trouble if yer caught."

"We knew the consequences before we came here," Ron assured him.

"Thas real nice of ye both. I guess ye can stay for jus' a minute, but yeh'll have ter go back soon. Those no good swines fay the Ministry will be here soon ter-" He cut himself off with a choked sob.

"It's alright, Hagrid," Hermione said gently. "Want me to make you some tea?" Hagrid shook his head 'no' and she sighed. "What can we do for you?"

"I jus' want ter make sure Buckbeak's final moments are real special. He's out in the field, enjoyin' the last of the sunshine," he sniffed. 

"That's good, he should do that," she smiled. 

"Aye." 

There was rattling coming from some teacups and the kettle on the counter top and Hermione went to see what it was. She gasped in shock when she saw who, or what it was. "Ron! It's your rat, Scabbers!"

Ron ran to where she was standing and grinned widely at the rat, picking him up and cradling him. "My Scabbers, I thought I'd lost you forever! You look so skinny and awful, we need to get you some food," he said sympathetically. The rat was trying his best to get out his hands but he just held him tighter.

"I think that means you owe someone an apology," Hermione said whilst crossing her arms.

Ron nodded weakly. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Thank you," she smiled.

"Oh no," Hagrid said gravely. "They're comin'. Ye both have ter hide or leave. I dun want ye stayin' here an' seeing what's about ter happen. It'll jus' traumatise ye."

Hagrid let them out the back door and ushered them outside towards the castle, giving them no room for argument. Both of them sighed and reluctantly agreed to calm the man, trudging back the way they came and sulking.

"I don't want to leave him alone during this," Ron said miserably.

"But do you really want to see an animal get killed?" Hermione winced. "I wouldn't. He's right, it'd traumatise us."

"Okay," he nodded and they walked back up to the tower, Ron hanging his head sadly whilst cradling a squeaking and writhing rat, and Hermione with tears in her eyes, discreetly wiping them away. 

Neither of them heard the muttering of multiple voices, some of them belonging to the executioners and one of them belonging to a weeping Hagrid. They also never saw the swinging of an axe as it landed directly on the Hippogriff's neck, decapitating it instantly, head rolling on the ground, body collapsing and blood squirting everywhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> Yup, that last part happened. So sorry :(


	25. Truths Are Revealed, Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius does some explaining, Scabbers isn't a normal rat and Hermione doesn't get along with Lupin and Harry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was fun to write :D and quite different from the books/movies which I find enjoyable.

Harry had been taking his Wolfsbane Potion recently as the moon night was approaching quickly. He'd been so caught up in his exams and studying that it almost slipped his mind. If it weren't for Severus coming up to him and handing him his medicine, he would have forgotten all about it and that would have disastrous consequences for both himself and anyone nearby.

He needed to head to the kitchens and get his usual requirements so he grabbed his cloak and slipped it on top of himself to avoid anyone's prying eyes. He couldn't be bothered answering questions right now. 

On his way there however, he spotted Hermione and Ron both weeping and heading up the stairs, muttering about the bird. He realised it was nearly night time now and Buckbeak must have been executed, not that he cared. He rolled his eyes at them and began to walk in the opposite direction when suddenly, he was stopped by barking and screaming. A large dog had somehow managed to sneak onto the premises and had jumped onto both Gryffindors, tackling them to the floor.

Hermione was screaming at it and trying to throw spells to get it away, however the dog ignored her and dodged them with ease, focusing strangely on Ron. He kept growling at him and biting at his hands and arms for some reason. Harry noticed he had Scabbers back, although he was baffled as to how, and slipped him into his cardigan pocket for safety. The dog just grabbed at his jumper and started trying to rip it apart.

"Get off me, stupid mutt!" Ron yelled. "What's wrong with you?! Hermione, cast more spells!"

"I don't know any more! Plus, it keeps jumping out the way, it's really fast!" she cried frustrated.

"Shout for help!" Ron demanded. "Help! Help me! Someone!" Suddenly, he was grabbed at the ankle by the dog and was dragged through the hallways, out onto the yard outside and no matter how much Ron kicked and screamed, the dog didn't let go. 

Harry felt like he knew this dog, somehow. As if he'd seen it somewhere before but couldn't place where. Perhaps it was a student's pet but would the Headmaster allow such a vicious animal like that in the building?

"Ron!" Hermione screamed as she ran after him quickly. Harry let out an amused breath, holding back a loud laugh as to not gain her attention. He could easily step in and defend Ron, classing himself as the hero and getting admirable respect. But it would be much funnier to see what happens with the dog and what it plans on doing. He ignores the pangs in his belly for now, able to resist them for another couple of hours or so, and follows quickly behind them both outside.

He notices Ron is getting dragged in the direction of the Whomping Willow, a horrific magical tree that will attack anyone that gets near to it. The very tree that tried to kill Ron in his second year when he flew his dad's car to Hogwarts after missing the train.

"Hermione, help me!" Ron screamed out, dragging his nails across the ground and dirtying them up. He was covered in scratches and bruises and Harry distinctly heard a snap as his leg broke where the dog grabbed it.

"Oh no," Hermione whimpered from where she stood in the distance. "What do I do?" she muttered to herself. She must have known she couldn't go in there after Ron, charging headfirst into danger with that Gryffindor bravery, but instead thinking with some common sense, something he slightly praised her for. "Tunnels, tunnels... C'mon, think," she frowned. 

She quickly headed back to the castle and Harry followed behind her sneakily, wondering what she'd do next. She eventually found her way to an old tunnel that led the way to the Shrieking Shack, one that he was familiar with. The twins must have told her about it as they often claimed they snuck there to go ghost hunting, but he knew they were full of it.

He was quiet as he trailed behind her, watching her stumble and fall multiple times in the passageway and wince as she scraped her knees and hands but continued on. Eventually, they both reached the entrance to the shack and climbed inside. The whole place was dusty and messy. Furniture had been tipped over and smashed and the windows and doors were broken. The walls also had massive claw marks, some of them small and others much larger, reaching as high as the ceiling.

_'What could have caused all this?'_ Harry thought to himself. Surely there were no actual ghosts here, that was just all rumours.

Harry stood near the doorway and watched in silence as Hermione gasped, running quickly towards a trembling Ron who was sitting in a chair in the corner. He was clutching his sore leg and looked to be in immense pain.

"Hermione, no, stop!" he yelled out to her before she reached him. "Don't come any closer," he whispered.

"What? Why?" she asked confused. "Where's the dog gone off to?"

Ron shook his head frantically. "It wasn't a real dog, it was him! It was Sirius Black, he's an Animagus!"

"What?" Hermione asked with wide eyes. The door slammed shut behind them all suddenly, startling Harry as he was right next to it and nearly had his hand caught in the frame. Hiding behind the door the entire time was the deranged looking man who was wearing shaggy looking prison clothes and sporting a large grin - Sirius Black. 

"Now that we're finally alone," Sirius said with a wave of his hand as he crept closer slowly, "we may as well get down to business. Shall we?" He disarmed Hermione quickly and held her wand tightly, already clenching Ron's in his hand. They were vulnerable. "Just to make sure you don't try and stop me."

"Harry isn't here, if that's who you're looking for!" Hermione shouted to him. "We know you're trying to kill him and you killed his parents. Were the muggles and Pettigrew not enough for you? Do you really have to come after a thirteen year old boy?" she spat.

Harry raised an eyebrow, impressed by her courage to yell at an escaped convict like that but also disappointed in the fact she brought him into this. What if Sirius had forgotten all about him and he was here for something else? She would have just reminded him, the idiot girl.

Sirius sighed deeply. "You know nothing. Nothing at all."

"We know you're a murderous, raving lunatic!" Ron shouted. "Prison doesn't even deserve you at this point, you're insane!"

"Ron!" Hermione shouted. "Don't antagonise him. He could kill us both in a split second," she whispered the last part.

"No. Only one shall die tonight!" Sirius said confidently. "He shall get what he rightfully deserves!"

Harry glared at the man, wanting to pull his cloak off and punch him in his face or curse him into oblivion, however that would reveal he was here and he didn't want to give up his hiding place. What's he even done wrong to this man to make him hate him so much, anyway? He can't think of anything.

Scabbers twisted and squeaked furiously in Ron's hand, biting him and desperately trying to get away, making Ron hold onto him tighter. "You're scaring him! Get lost!"

"Good. He should be scared," Sirius grinned maliciously whilst staring at the rat for some bizarre reason that Harry couldn't decipher. 

He narrowed his eyes and quietly took a step closer to examine the man, wondering what was going through his head. If he could just lock eyes with him for a split second, he could use Legillemency, but the man wasn't paying attention to any one of them anymore. He was completely transfixed with Scabbers and reaching out his hands to grab him. 

"No, stay away! Leave him alone!" Ron yelled upset, cradling the rat protectively to his chest and standing up from the chair, limping away to back up against the wall.

Sirius looked frustrated. "Your leg will hurt more if you do that. Sit down."

"I'm not falling for any tricks like that," Ron curled his lip. "Do what you want with me but leave my Scabbers alone."

Harry clasped a hand over his mouth to stifle a laugh. Was he really willing to die tonight for a stinky rat? Speaking of, the thing reeked more than usual as if it hadn't had a bath in weeks. It smelled like a smelly old man.

Sirius let out a pitiful laugh. "Believe me, kid. You don't want to go around giving up your life for a traitor like _that_!" he yelled towards the rat. Ron gaped in shock, wondering if the man had truly lost the plot by now. 

"What are-"

"Enough questions already!" Sirius snapped. "Hand him over so I can take care of this, once and for all!"

"Take care of this?" Hermione whispered in confusion, frowning hard.

Harry was seriously beginning to think there was more to this than he originally thought. And the key here was somehow that rat. The question was, what was it that had Sirius so obsessed over him? He listened in carefully to gather as much information as he could, making sure not to miss anything.

"Yes!" the man glared. "What do you think I've been trying to accomplish all year, huh? Why I broke out of Azkaban? It's because I saw him on your shoulder in the Daily Prophet picture and knew he was alive and I had to get my revenge, at last. I finally managed to get into the Gryffindor Tower but that didn't go as planned and everyone thought I tried to kill you!" he said in annoyance, looking at Ron.

"Wait! So, you didn't break into the tower to kill me? Even though you tore up my curtains," Ron gaped. "You... You broke in to get Scabbers?! Why?"

"I actually thought you broke in to get Harry!" Hermione said in shock. "Why would you want to go after a rat? Of all the possible things?"

"Because. Just as I am not really a dog, he's not really a rat," Sirius glared at Scabbers who was now squealing harder than before and biting hard at Ron's hand, making him wince in pain. 

"Ow! Scabbers, stop that! It's me, Ron," he said comfortingly. 

Harry had to admit he felt slightly relieved at the fact that Sirius wasn't out for his blood like they thought, however it didn't make him immediately trust the man as he still seemed a little batty. Although, he did spent twelve years in Azkaban and that would make anyone insane. There were also many unanswered questions that were driving _him_ insane, too.

"What do you mean he's not really a rat? Surely you don't mean..." Hermione said suspiciously, as if she was beginning to put the pieces together. 

Sirius nodded once and she gasped, looking horrified. Harry frowned, hating the fact that he was being left out of the loop here. He thought hard and clued into Sirius' previous words about him not being a real dog. He got another whiff of Scabbers and cringed, then suddenly it hit him like a Bludger. 

He felt like a fool for not realising it sooner. The rat must be an Animagus and that must be why Sirius is after him, whoever he is. But why? Many more unanswered questions. 

"Calm down, I'll make sure you're alright," Ron mumbled to the rat.

"Like hell you will!" Sirius grit out and went to lunge for Ron's rat again, going to grab it out his hands.

"Stay back!" Ron shouted furiously, backing up again.

"It's okay, Ron!" Hermione defended him surprisingly. "Give him Scabbers."

"No!" Ron said, looking betrayed. "How can you say that?"

"Give me the rat and everything will be okay," Sirius said in a low voice, eyes full of fire.

Ron went to speak up again when suddenly there was footsteps from the distance, outside of the closed door. "Help us! We're in here with Sirius Black!" Ron shouted out desperately. 

The door banged open with incredible strength and Professor Lupin stood there looking ragged and tired, more than usual, but equally furious.

"There you are," he said in Sirius' direction rather quietly. 

"Get him, Professor!" Ron shouted. "He's going to kill us!"

"Ron, I don't think he will. I think there's been a slight misunderstanding," Hermione said as calmly as she could despite the fact her heart was racing. 

"Slight?!" Sirius yelled. "Do you have any idea of what that rat has done? If you had, you would be calling it a major misunderstanding."

Harry's eyes were blown wide from seeing everything play out in front of him like this. It was like watching a movie take place. The slightest of movement would give him away so he had to remain as still as possible, making sure his feet didn't creak on the floor which proved to be more difficult than he originally imagined. He thought for a brief second that he saw Lupin's eyes move in his direction as if he heard something but the man shook his head and ignored him.

Hermione nodded to Sirius whilst Ron whimpered. "See! He's insane."

"Let's just hear him out for a moment," Hermione reasoned. "He admitted he didn't try to kill Harry all year and that's enough to go on, so far. Now let's figure out what he wants from Scabbers."

"You really are the brightest witch of your age, Hermione Granger," Lupin smiled at her proudly. Hermione blushed and ducked her head making Harry scowl behind his cloak. She didn't deserve his praise, he did! He's been spending all year with him. Where's she been? "As for the rat, he's not a rat. I'm sorry to tell you this Ron, but he's an Animagus like Sirius."

Ron's eyes went wide and he looked down at Scabbers in stunned shock. "W-what?" he stuttered out. "No. Scabbers has been in my family for-"

"-twelve years?" Sirius interrupted, throwing his hands up. "That's an extremely long life span for your average garden rat, don't you think?"

"Well... We always thought he was just healthy and we fed him a lot, so-"

"No, it's because he's a grown man!" Sirius grit out. 

"Who is he?" Ron gulped, no longer looking too comfortable holding the rat.

Lupin suddenly walked forward and grabbed the rat from his hands, holding him tightly to make sure he wouldn't get away. He tried struggling and biting at Lupin's hands but the man ignored it fairly well. Harry got a strong whiff of both nasty rat and the comforting smell he'd been sensing for months, now. It warmed him up and made him feel relaxed, somehow. As if he enjoyed the presence, despite not knowing what it was. 

In a small corner of his mind, right at the back, he somehow felt as if it were coming from Professor Lupin.

"This... is Peter Pettigrew," Lupin said with disgust in his voice, gesturing to the rat. Sirius was glaring with hatred, too. "He's the real person who had your parents killed, Harry. Not Sirius."

"Um, Professor. Harry isn't here," Hermione said whilst looking around awkwardly. "He didn't come with us to Hagrid's before Buckbeak... y'know. So, it's just us."

"Is it?" Lupin raised an eyebrow. "He has that Invisibility Cloak I know he'd gotten from his father, am I correct?" Hermione nodded slowly. Lupin just looked over his shoulder towards the doorway where Harry was still standing and smiled. "Come out from underneath it, Harry."

Harry gaped. How on Earth did he know he was here?! He wasn't a Legillimens, was he? He didn't lock eyes with him. And even if he did, Harry is an accomplished Occlumens so he'd easily push him out his mind the second he felt an intrusion. He sighed and decided the jig was up, pulling the cloak off his head and holding it delicately in his hands. Hermione and Ron both gasped when they saw him.

"Um. Hello," he said awkwardly.

"Hello there, Harry. Nice to see you out and about, even under the circumstances," Lupin smiled fondly. Harry nodded. "I assume you heard everything?" He nodded again. "Wonderful, you're all caught up then."

Harry noticed Sirius was staring intensely at him and shifted on the spot. At first he thought it was because the man was going to attack him, but he admitted that he wasn't trying to hurt him so he pushed that idea out the window. Instead, Sirius was looking at him without a malicious sort of look but something similar to longing in his eyes, as if he was seeing something he hadn't seen in a long time and missed dearly and finally had back within his reach and wanted to hold.

Again, another metaphorical Bludger hit him in the face and he held back a gasp of shock. He remembers what McGonagall and the rest of the teachers were discussing that day he snuck out the school to go to Hogsmeade, when they were talking about him and worrying over Sirius Black's escape. He remembers how he overheard them say he was his godfather. This man was his _godfather_. 

Ever so slowly, things began to unravel. The fact they're related. The fact he didn't actually try to kill him at all this year and still doesn't plan to - it's Pettigrew he's after, the real traitor. The fact that he's looking at him with adoration in his eyes although still keeping his wary distance, probably to try and not spook him or overstep boundaries which he appreciates. Maybe, he could trust this man. Just maybe.

"I suppose," Harry just muttered to Lupin. "How did you even get here?"

Hermione spluttered unattractively. "How did _you_ get here? I saw Ron get dragged away by the dog," she coughed awkwardly, "Sirius, and you most certainly didn't walk with me."

"I was behind you the entire time," he rolled his eyes whilst holding up his cloak. "I wanted to see how Ronald was holding up."

"Oh please!" Ron scoffed. "You probably came to laugh at me or something. Hoping I'd get eaten, right?"

Harry ducked his head to hide a smirk. "That's rather rude."

Ron gaped. "Are you kidding?"

"Let's not do this right now," Lupin interjected, knowing it would just lead to an argument. He seemed to know them all pretty well by now and could tell they were good at getting under each other's nerves, just as hormonal teenagers do.

"Agreed," Sirius said then grinned slightly. "Perhaps later." Harry blinked at him and wondered what had gotten into him. Was he making a joke? It was bizarre. 

"Sirius," Lupin sighed, as if he were used to this behaviour. Sirius just pouted childishly. "As for me, Harry, I got here because I noticed something was missing. Do you know what I'm talkin about?" he raised an eyebrow.

Harry hummed in thought. "Nope, no idea."

"Oh really? So you didn't raid my drawers and take back the map I took from you?"

Harry twisted his hands together. "Must have been Peeves."

Lupin gave him a weak glare before shaking his head. "Alright, sure. I'll chose to believe you, this time only." Harry nodded weakly. "When I noticed that Peeves must have stolen it," he pursed his lips at Harry, "I couldn't check for where you were as I wanted to talk to you about something. I asked around and nobody seemed to see you. However, some students were in a frantic state as they claimed they heard screaming coming from outside and wild barking in the distance. I put the pieces together and naturally assumed you'd be here, too."

"Nice deducting, Sherlock," Harry smirked.

"Thank you," he smiled. He then suddenly clapped his hands. "Now, down to business," he said whilst turning to the rat who started squeaking again.

"Finally!" Sirius said as he stumbled closer, hands outstretched and trembling slightly. "I've been wanting to do this since forever!" he growled.

"We're not going to kill him, Sirius. We'll turn him back to his human form and hand him over to the Ministry," Lupin said sternly.

Sirius looked livid. "Why not?! Do you remember what he's done? It was him! All him! I spent years in Azkaban because of him, twelve years of it! James and Lily are dead, all because of him! He deserves to die!" he screamed. Harry winced as his ears were assaulted, although he couldn't help but agree with him. It's what he deserved. Painfully, too.

"If we kill him, you'll still be seen as a murderer and sent back to prison as he'll be dead! Like they always assumed," Lupin reprimanded. "If we keep him alive, you can hand him over and they'll see he's not really dead and they'll shove Veritaserum down his throat, the truth will spill out and you can be freed!"

"He's right," Harry finally spoke up to Sirius. The man's eyes went wide at the sound of his voice. "You can get a trial, finally. They might even use Veritaserum on you if they have to and that's okay because you don't have anything bad to hide. Plus, the people that know the full story will stick up for you."

Sirius stared at him for a moment before sighing and relenting, nodding his head. "Alright," he said softly.

Lupin let out a breath of relief and pointed his wand to the rat, gesturing to Sirius. "Now."

Sirius clenched Hermione's wand tightly to cast the spell that would reverse the Animagus spell on Scabbers, both men loudly yelling out an incantation and a jet of blue light shooting out both wands, slamming hard into the rat and making it fly across the room.

Everything was silent for a moment and for a brief second, Harry thought the spell had failed and somehow the rat had managed to stay that way permanently. But slowly, the body began to grow bigger and bigger, tail disappearing and clothes appearing, whiskers being replaced with skin and fur being replaced with hair on a head. The squeaking of a mouse became the trembling cries from a scared little man hunched in the corner.

Scabbers had transformed back into Peter Pettigrew.

"That man was living in my house for twelve years?" Ron gasped in horror. "Oh Merlin, I got dressed in front of him and let him sleep in my bed with me!" he said in disgust.

Harry felt slight pity for him. That would traumatise even the most brave and strongest of people. 

Pettigrew chose that moment to look up at Sirius and Lupin with a shaky smile. "Sirius! Remus! My old friends, how g-good it is to see you again," he smiled pathetically.

Harry cringed at the display. 

"Don't you dare call us your friends! Friends would never do what you have done! You will pay big time for this!" Sirius yelled.

"I'm s-so sorry," Pettigrew cried. "I was just s-scared. What would you have done?"

"I would have died! I would rather have died than ever have betrayed my best friends or my godson!" Sirius said enraged. Lupin was clenching his fists and staring at Pettigrew with a look Harry hadn't seen before. It was absolute loathsome, disappointment and hatred for another person and it was all directed at his past friend, rightfully so.

There were gasps from Hermione and Ron as they heard Sirius' declaration. 

"You're his godfather?" Hermione asked bewildered, looking between them both. Sirius nodded his head slowly and she turned to Harry. "Did you know about this?"

"Yes." He got shocked looks from everyone in the room. "Long story, hardly matters, but I've known for a few months now."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Hermione asked with a frown.

"Do I have to tell you everything that goes on in my life? Um, no. It was something I wanted to deal with alone," he glared.

"But, still. We could have-"

"No, you couldn't have done anything so just shut up now," he snapped at her. She looked to her shoes and nodded dejectedly. 

During the conversation, Pettigrew tried to sneak out the window but Harry caught sight of him out the corner of his eye. He cast a quick spell to lock him in a Body Bind which had the man struggling.

"Brilliant!" Sirius smiled widely. Harry felt his chest twinge with something unfamiliar but not unpleasant at the man's words of genuine praise and look of pure happiness towards him. 

"Thanks," he mumbled.

"P-please let me go," Pettigrew said whilst looking up at Harry. "I knew you when you were just a b-baby, Harry. So small and in-innocent. I held you," he said with a sickeningly sweet voice which had Harry curling his lip and stepping back further from the man. "Your fa-father, he would have let me go! He would have shown me m-mercy! Be like him!" Pettigrew said desperately. "Or you're di-disrespecting his memory."

"Hey!" Lupin yelled out. "How dare you!"

"Don't you ever say that about him or Lily and James!" Sirius snarled at Pettigrew who just shut his eyes in fear of what was to come. 

Harry felt quite honoured to have two people defend him quite vigorously and passionately like this, something he'd never truly had before. He wanted to thank them, however his stomach began to clench painfully and he realised that he'd left it too long without going to the kitchens to eat. He never expected any of this to happen, though. He began to breath a little heavier and sweat began to gather on his forehead and back.

His mouth got drier and he clenched his hands tightly, appreciative for the gloves. He heard voices talking but was too busy trying not to double over in pain. He was thankful he managed to take his potion before he left the castle otherwise that could have been more disastrous as he could see the moon beginning to peep out from behind the clouds slowly.

"-you okay?" he heard someone say.

Someone put a hand on his shoulder and shook him roughly to get his attention. "Whaaaa," he trailed off.

"Are you okay, Harry?" Hermione asked in worry. "You look ill. Like you're going to throw up, pass out or both."

"He has a weak immune system. He gets sick like every month, curled up in bed and not able to show up to classes. Probably because he lives with muggles or something. They have loads of germs, I think," Ron said on his behalf because he could hardly speak as he was gritting his teeth together.

"Every month, you say?" Lupin raised an eyebrow. The man wasn't looking quite well himself, now that Harry thought about it. His facial scars, much like his own were standing out much redder, although that could be due to the lighting. He had circles under his eyes and his palms were bleeding from where he'd dug his nails into them. Pettigrew really annoyed him, it seems.

"Yeah. Every month since we started school in our first year. Why?" Ron asked innocently.

"It doesn't... matter," Harry ground out. "Just get Pettigrew to the Ministry now and..." he wheezed whilst clutching his stomach, "and we can go, okay? I'd really like to go now."

"Sounds fine to me," Ron shrugged and winced as he tried to walk on his sore leg. 

Hermione stopped him though, gaping at both Harry and Lupin. "Oh my god," she said breathlessly. "I didn't want to believe it at first but it all makes sense now."

"What does?" Lupin asked with narrowed eyes.

"You're always skipping classes on the same days Harry is and show up a few days later looking really tired. You both have similar bodily scars on your face, arms and hands, when I've caught sight of them. I've seen you both drink similar looking potions that look disgusting and nobody else seems to drink them - it always seems to be around the same time you skip classes, too. And you both look absolutely ragged, no offence, as of right now," she clarified with ease.

"Make sure you choose your next words very carefully," Harry growled with a hint of a threat in his voice. 

She continued on as if she hadn't heard him. "You're clutching your stomach," she pointed to Harry, "and you're rubbing your scars and sweating." Harry turned to Lupin and saw he was indeed rubbing the facial scars that looked extremely tender by now, a wince on his face. "You're werewolves, aren't you?"

Ron let out a laugh from where he was standing. "'Mione, that's ridiculous. You can't go around accusing teachers of being werewolves. Dumbledore would never allow that. And he'd never allow a student who's a werewolf to be in the building, either."

She rolled her eyes. "You're oblivious, Ronald. Dumbledore is a lot more accepting than other wizards. Am I wrong?" she asked them both.

Harry scowled at her and thought about just setting her on fire again but Lupin stepped forward and looked down at her sceptically. "How long have you known about me?" he asked. Harry's eyes bugged out. It was true?! 

"I've had suspicions since Professor Snape gave us the essay about werewolves a while back," she crossed her arms. "I couldn't be completely sure. Now I am."

Lupin was silent for a moment before sighing. "Alright, you got me. I'm a werewolf." Hermione smiled in success, glad to have been right. Lupin held out a hand, silencing her. "It is nothing to brag about, however. And it is not your secret to tell. Am I clear?" 

She gulped and nodded. "Of course."

Harry was surprised Lupin didn't try to bring him into this and expose him, too. He only stuck to the accusation about himself, he didn't try to rat him out or anything. He may not have known about him and possibly thought the girl was wrong, or perhaps he did know and didn't want to embarrass him. But either way, he still appreciated not being called out like she had done. It was a nice gesture and he took one for the team. He thought the girl would get off his back but sadly he was wrong.

She turned to him and he let out a small groan of annoyance. "What?" he glared.

"You now."

"What about me? There's nothing to tell," he sniffed. 

"Oh really? So if I just drag you outside those doors or right by the window where the moonlight is peeking through, you will be absolutely fine and won't start screaming?" she raised an eyebrow.

Harry stared hard at her for a minute, glaring as hard as he could before saying something he never expected, although he didn't regret it. 

"You _bitch_."

She gaped at his foul language, not wanting to believe it was coming from him, although not quite surprised. What shocked her more was the fact that he was merely thirteen and was too young to be saying things like that, especially in front of a teacher. He could possibly get into so much trouble.

"How can you say that?" she whispered, hurt.

"Let's just calm ourselves, shall we?" Lupin butted in, putting a delicate hand on Harry's shoulder and deciding not to comment on the language. The man must have not wanted to make the fight worse, especially at a time like now and keep things calm due to the severity of the situation. He'd probably handle it later, which she hoped he would. That was just mean. She's been called a know-it-all, annoying and even a Mudblood. But not that. It stung.

"How can I say that?" Harry yelled, ignoring Lupin and throwing his hand off. "You're the one who's being rude and disrespectful by trying to out me like this! And him!" he pointed to Lupin who looked tired. 

Hermione winced. "I'm sorry, Harry. I just wanted to know so that I could understand more. I promise, it's not a problem!" she assured him. "In fact, this is a good thing because now I understand so much more and can help you if you need anything. Anything at all, just ask, I'll be there."

"I don't need your help," Harry said, eyes tearing up. He felt embarrassed and degraded. A small part of him knew that she maybe did have good intentions and did want to help, plus he knew she wasn't the kind of person to go around telling the people at school. But, it still hurt to have his most prized secret like this exposed. Especially when Ron was standing there in silence not saying anything, gaping at both him and Lupin, whilst Sirius also stood off to the other side and remained quiet. 

Although, the man didn't looked put off or disgusted in any way. He looked rather collected and calm, probably because he has experience in this area because one of his long time friends is a werewolf and he's used to dealing with this kind of thing so it's nothing new or scary to him. 

Harry was still scared to use Legillemency on either Sirius or Ron because he didn't want to know what was going through their heads. What if they secretly thought bad of him? What if Sirius didn't want a creature like him as a godson and took off? He'd lose his only chance at a family. What if Ron thought he was disgusting and told people at school? 

He winced and grabbed his stomach again, the pain hitting him more strongly now. He could sense the moon was approaching quicker and looked to Lupin desperately. 

_'No need to be so discreet about it anymore since everyone knows all about my dirty little secret now,'_ he thought bitterly to himself.

"Come on, we need to get you back to castle right now. You'll take the tunnels. Will you let Hermione and Ron help you?" he asked with a soft voice, trying to be encouraging.

"Ugh," Harry cringed, rolling his eyes.

"Harry, please. You've got to start trusting people more. Right now, it's very important. You can trust them, I promise," Lupin said looking up to the other kids. "Can't he?"

Ron and Hermione nodded quickly.

"Yes, he can," Hermione said seriously. "I swear."

"Uh, sure. We'll be fine," Ron said.

"Good. I'm going to ask one last request from you before you head back. Believe me, I know how much pain you're in," Lupin said with a deep breath and wince of his own whilst clenching his fists - something Harry's far too familiar with. He belatedly realised Lupin must be going through as much agony as him but is hardly saying anything, most likely because he's older and a teacher and one of them has to be more headstrong in this situation, therefore Lupin decided it would be him. He's putting Harry's own wellbeing and comfort before his own because he wants to protect him. 

Harry felt a wave of guilt and decided to buck up, doing what the man said. He nodded quickly. "Anything."

Lupin smiled. "I'm going to take Pettigrew to the Ministry and explain everything. Dumbledore will understand, he's good like that. Sirius... He'll go back to the castle with you under your cloak so nobody sees him. You'll need all the help you can get, especially because Ron's also injured. You can trust him."

Harry looked towards Sirius who was staring at him with a level of care in his eyes that he knew wasn't faked. Unlike Pettigrew who was still bound on the ground and begging for mercy, pretending to be their friend. So pathetic. 

"Okay," Harry nodded towards Sirius who smiled happily.

"Wonderful," Lupin said and went over to Pettigrew, glaring down at him. "Time's up. Sirius, take Harry, Ron and Hermione and go quickly."

"Are you sure you'll be alright tonight?" Sirius asked in concern.

"I'll be fine, no need to worry about me," Lupin smiled kindly.

Sirius nodded and he grabbed ahold of Ron and put his arm across his shoulder, letting him lean on him as they all headed back through the tunnel and back to the castle. Hermione did the same with Harry and he winced as the pain in his stomach refused to subside. She gave him a concerned look but he just turned his head away, ignoring her. Sirius handed them back their wands with an apologetic smile and spoke awkwardly to Ron. 

"About your leg," he said looking down at it where it was clearly broken and had dried blood on it, "sorry about that. I'm not as careful as I used to be after all these years locked up. I got a bit carried away back there, but I really wanted to get Pettigrew in there and you had him in your hands. You understand, right?"

Ron sighed and nodded. "It's okay. If I'd known what he was, I'd have let you bloody eat him," he cringed.

Sirius laughed. "Good to know. Although I doubt he'd taste good."

When they were halfway there, Harry had to stop in his tracks as shooting pain bolted right up his back and he cried out. As much as he tried to resist making noise, it became impossible as time went by. 

"Harry?" he heard Sirius' worried voice.

"I'm fine..." he wheezed out. "Really," he whimpered.

"You most certainly are not," Sirius scowled and looked to Hermione. "Do you think you're a tough enough girl to handle Ron for me?"

She grinned and nodded, taking Sirius' place and holding Ron up. Sirius went over to Harry and felt his forehead, cringing at the temperature as he felt like a boiling furnace. He put aside any embarrassment the boy may feel and any possible second hand burns he may receive from touching him for too long, then picked him up, cradling him much like a baby to his chest.

"What're you... doin'..." Harry trailed off, head lolling to the side and landing on Sirius' chest. His arms and legs dangled uselessly and he looked quite pathetic but he was semi conscious at this point and hardly cared for looks. What he needed was very specific sustenance - AKA meat - from the kitchens and lots of water, then he needed tons of sleep. 

They were nearing the exit to the tunnels and Sirius was going to throw the cloak over himself and sneak all of them onto the grounds to get them to safety when they all suddenly heard a loud howl coming from the distance. 

Harry's heard immediately jerked up and he became more alert. "Lupin?" he said in a whisper, somehow in a fascinating way recognising who the howl belonged to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> I hope you enjoyed that chapter! this is just part one, the next part will be out hopefully soon!
> 
> PS: This was just one big chapter lol. I did try adding borders at some points, but somehow, it just didn't work with me so I kept it going. I think it went well tbh.


	26. Truths Are Revealed, Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lupin changes, Pettigrew gets taken away and Harry finds happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> second part is finally here yay!

"You recognise who it is?" Sirius asked Harry as the boy focused on the distant howling.

Harry nodded slowly. "I think so. I can just sense it, it's difficult to explain," he whispered. Sirius nodded, believing him.

"But Professor Lupin is supposed to be taking Peter Pettigrew to the Ministry!" Hermione cried. "He can't change like this, can he? He wouldn't!"

"It's not like it's a choice, Hermione!" Harry snapped whilst glaring at her. She looked guilty and apologised.

Sirius took in a deep breath and looked down at Harry worriedly. "You've taken your potion tonight, right?" 

"Of course I have, I'm not an idiot," Harry rolled his eyes whilst groaning slightly in pain.

"Remus must have forgotten then," Sirius said regrettably, holding Harry gently and making sure not to hurt him. "Dammit! This is my fault. If I hadn't dragged Ron here then Remus wouldn't have had to come and he wouldn't have forgotten-"

"Hey, stop it," Harry interrupted. "It happens. It's happened to me before during school."

"It has?" Hermione asked with wide eyes. "When? I don't remember this."

"Our first year. I don't want to get into it though," he mumbled. "It wasn't pretty."

Sirius smiled down at Harry sympathetically and continued to carry him on the way back to the castle, Ron and Hermione following behind them both.

"I'll help you inside and get you as close to your common rooms as possible, but you're going to have to make most of your own way back," Sirius said to them all. "I'll have to find Remus and Pettigrew. If the rat's escaped then everything's over."

"We understand," Hermione said.

Harry looked up at Sirius with a questioning glance. "You said 'our common rooms'. Does this mean you know we're not in the same Houses?"

Sirius looked at him calmly. "Of course. After trying to get into the tower all year and sneaking around, I caught sight of you in the hallways from time to time and saw your robes. The green suits your eyes," he grinned. Harry blinked up at him before smiling. "Also Remus told me."

"So... It's not a problem?" Harry asked quietly.

Sirius gaped at him. "Why in Merlin's saggy boobs would it be a problem?"

Ron snorted from where he was limping and Harry shrugged. "I dunno. I just thought because-"

"-I'm a Gryffindor and you're a Slytherin, that automatically makes us enemies?" Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Would make me hate you? That's the silliest thing I've ever heard. Don't say things like that, okay?" he pursed his lips.

Harry nodded up at him and relaxed, glad to have that massive weight off his chest that was slowly crushing him. "Okay."

They were silent for a moment before Sirius spoke quietly to him. "Y'know, I was thinking... When you were a baby, your parents didn't just make me your godfather," he said softly. "They made me your official guardian in case something were to ever happen to them."

Harry blinked in confusion, wondering where this was going. "Really?"

"Yep. So," Sirius coughed, "I was wondering if you'd maybe want to come and stay with me?" he asked with a hopeful gaze. "I know you live with the muggles, but it's just something for you to think about during your free time. Whatever you want. I won't make you do anything. The option is always there, though."

Harry slowly began to develop a smile on his face. "You really mean that? You would want me to come and live with you? Like, in your house and everything?" he asked excitedly.

"Well, of course!" Sirius chuckled. "We wouldn't live in the back of someone's car. I have a home, although it does need a little cleaning up. That can easily be taken care of though, don't worry. What do you say?"

"I say yes!" Harry beamed.

"Really?" Sirius asked with a smile, holding him closer to his chest.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I'd love to live with you. I hate it with the Dursleys anyway. They're so mean," he mumbled.

Sirius clenched his jaw. "Is that why you were running away that day? I saw you late at night in the muggle neighbourhood with that trunk of yours."

Harry gaped up at him. "How did you- Oh my god, you were the dog in the bushes!" he said.

Sirius chuckled. "Yeah, that was me. Nice going, setting your snake pal on me, by the way."

Harry ducked his head back into Sirius' chest to hide his embarrassment. "I'm really sorry about that. We were under a lot of stress and I had to get out of there right away. She was very hungry and I couldn't feed her. She's an animal and has instincts, y'know? I thought you were a stray mutt."

Sirius smiled down at him. "It's alright, don't worry about it. What's been confusing me more is how you handled the snake. That was certainly interesting. Not bad, I'm not judging at all, it was just very interesting. I've never seen something like that before."

Hermione and Ron looked over to them both in confusion, not understanding what they were talking about.

"Oh... You mean when I," Harry cut himself off and whispered so the others couldn't hear, "spoke to her?" Sirius nodded. "Well, I'm just very close with her, that's all. You don't think it's bad?" he asked self consciously.

"I told you to stop thinking bad things," Sirius tutted. "Of course not. You can do a rare piece of magic, that's pretty cool. Can you teach me to do that?" he grinned.

"Probably not," Harry chuckled.

"Aw," Sirius pouted. Harry took in a deep breath when more pain hit him and travelled in waves through his abdomen and scars. Sirius shushed him quietly and told him to try and relax. "You'll be fine, I promise."

Harry smiled and relaxed into his arms for the rest of the walk.

Eventually they reached the end of the tunnel and emerged, Sirius quickly throwing the cloak over himself and Harry jumping down from his arms so it didn't look like he was floating, although the man still kept a tight grip on him where he was standing beside him and hidden.

They began to walk the trek back to the castle when suddenly they heard another loud howl, this one closer. "I think it's definetly Lupin," Harry said with a frown. "I can sense it, I just know."

Ron and Hermione nodded at him and they continued on their way, Harry wheezing slightly and wincing as the moonlight hit his skin. It had fully emerged from behind the clouds and felt like scalding water was pouring over his skin. His scars were on fire.

"Ow!" he gasped. "Please, let's hurry. It hurts so bad," he whimpered.

"We're nearly there, Harry. It'll all be over soon," Sirius said in a comforting voice.

He dragged him along quicker whilst Ron and Hermione shared concerned glances. They were nearly there when suddenly, they heard the shuffling of bushes and a loud growling noise from behind them. The hairs on the back of Harry's neck stood up and he gulped, turning around to see a massive werewolf standing there and panting, eyes golden and shining bright. It reminded him of the one that attacked him that day he got turned.

"P-professor Lupin?" Hermione asked in a quiet voice, eyes wide. "Is that you?" she gulped.

"Hermione, don't!" Sirius whisper shouted to her from under the cloak. "Keep still and stay back."

"Do as he says," Harry agreed. "This could turn out horribly," he said whilst trying to keep his voice from trembling. He knew Lupin didn't have any control over what was happening to him and wouldn't remember any of this the next day. It was still scary, though.

 _'Huh, so this is what I look like when I turn,'_ he thought to himself in curiosity. _'A monstrosity.'_

Lupin looked to Harry and he simply stared back, trying to remain calm. The man was observing him and sniffing in his direction. Harry let him do whatever he wanted if it meant he and the rest of them got away unharmed.

Lupin growled slightly and Harry took in a deep breath, closing his eyes and hoping nothing bad happened. He wasn't the strongest werewolf of them all and knew if Lupin decided to attack him, he'd get killed easily. However, the man seemed to pick up on his anxiety and narrowed his bright eyes, backing up slowly after a moment. There was rustling coming from the bushes again which gained Harry's attention and for a second, he dreaded that there'd be another werewolf in there but when he gave a small sniff of his own, he recognised the familiar scent of Pettigrew.

His eyes went wide and he turned to Lupin again. "He's in there, isn't he?" he whispered.

"Harry..." Sirius warned, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Lupin let out a huff and nodded his head towards the direction of the bushes before running over to where Pettigrew must be, letting out a loud howl and taking off into the distance. Harry smiled gratefully at the man, glad he'd gotten in touch with his human side - something he'd try his best to do in the future - and let them go.

"We'll be okay, he's left us alone," Harry told them all. "Pettigrew is hiding in the bushes."

"He is?!" Sirius demanded. "Why hasn't he ran off?"

"Let's go find out."

They all walked towards the bushes where it was still shuffling about and noticed Pettigrew was still locked in the Body Bind and trying to make his escape but unable to. He was covered in scratches and bruises from being dragged across the ground and probably had multiple bones broken as he was whimpering in lots of pain. Harry felt no pity for him. He was glad to note that he didn't have any bite marks or familiar claw marks on his body, though. He hated Pettigrew, however he wouldn't wish lycanthropy on anyone. Especially if it made them stronger.

"I would kill you right now if we didn't have bigger plans for you," Harry grit out, holding himself back from grabbing his wand and cursing the man.

"Harry," Hermione whispered to him in shock. "Stop that."

"Let's just get him to the Headmaster then, shall we? The Ministry is clearly not an option right now," Sirius muttered under the cloak.

"Agreed," Harry said and hoisted Pettigrew up with his increased strength, ignoring the man's pleas and his own pain, both physical and emotional.

As he began to drag him back up to the castle with the help of everyone else, the Minister of all people came out onto the grounds and was looking at them baffled.

"What's the meaning of this?!" he asked enraged.

"What are you still doing here?" Ron asked with a glare. "You got what you wanted, you killed Buckbeak."

"We had to take care of some official business and wrap things up with the Headmaster and the Hippogriff's owner. Nothing more to say on the matter," Fudge said sternly. "What are you lot doing out here this late at night? Who is that man you're dragging around? I told you two no funny business!" he pointed his finger at Ron and Hermione.

"But it's not funny business!" Ron yelled.

"Young man-"

"This is Peter Pettigrew!" Hermione shouted in exasperation.

Sirius watched from underneath the cloak, waiting for the perfect moment to show himself. He definetly couldn't do it right now otherwise he'd be hoisted off to prison without getting a chance to say goodbye to his godson.

Fudge just laughed. "Pettigrew has been dead for twelve years, don't make me laugh."

"We're not going to make you laugh, Minister," Harry stated firmly. "We're going to make you see the truth."

He suddenly yanked Pettigrew's head back from where he was hanging it and trying to hide his face. The man yelped out in pain and gasped in shock when he spotted the Minster of Magic standing right in front of him.

"Dear Merlin," Fudge gaped. "It's really him. He's alive. How can this be?"

"Let's take him up to the Headmaster's office before he escapes again and we'll explain _everything_ ," Harry said.

Fudge stared at the trembling man with indignation before nodding. "Alright, with me. Quickly now!"

They all followed after the Minister, Harry keeping an extremely tight grip on the weepy man as he begged to be released and Sirius trailing right behind Harry the entire time, still hidden beneath the cloak and making sure to always stay by his side.

* * *

"I must say, this is news I never thought I would hear in all my years of teaching," Dumbledore said in surprise. "It's news I never thought I'd hear at all."

"Yet, you have Albus," the Minister nodded. "I was just as shocked as you were, believe me. I almost thought it was a practical joke."

"We'd never joke about something like that," Hermione said fiercely.

"Yeah, that's kinda messed up..." Ron said with a frown.

McGonagall and Severus had been called in when Fudge and the trio had arrived with Pettigrew, neither of them believing the news themselves until they saw the man groveling in the corner like a scared baby. McGonagall looked so disappointed in him, most likely because he was one of her former students as a Gryffindor. Severus just looked like he wanted to kill the man with his bare hands.

"What do you plan on doing about it?" Harry asked whilst crossing his arms. "Surely you're going to lock this filth away in Azkaban, aren't you? Tell me you are. After all, this is all his fault."

"Is that what you think the punishment should be, Mr Potter?" Fudge asked him.

Harry spluttered. "If you want my honest opinion, I think we should go back in time and he should take the curse that killed my parents. That would be the perfect punishment!" he snapped. "However, seeing as that won't happen, a lifetime in a confined prison cell all alone as he thinks about what he's done will work just as nicely."

"I agree," Hermione said.

"Yeah, toss him in there," Ron spoke up. "And make sure the guards know he's an Animagus this time so he can't slip past them."

Sirius grinned fondly under the cloak, proud of the way the kids were handling the situation and not bowing down, not scared to say their honest opinion even if it got them into trouble. They were headstrong and brave, he admired that in all of them. 

"Well, that does sound like a good idea," Fudge said whilst biting his lip and looking at Harry. "Alright, done."

"I'm not finished," Harry said. Fudge blinked at him. "I want a trial for Sirius Black. He's innocent, you know this now. If you just toss Pettigrew into prison, people might be confused out of their minds. I know I would be. So, let's have an official trial. Put Pettigrew on the stand and have him admit everything he's done. How he framed Sirius and cut off his toe, escaping in his rat form. Shove truth serum down his throat if you have to."

"Yeah, do that!" Hermione nodded enthusiastically.

"You can put Sirius on the stand too, he'll gladly admit everything. Why wouldn't he? He'll be desperate to finally admit the truth after all these years, he deserves that! Pettigrew deserves absolutely nothing except a lifetime of hell just like he gave Sirius," he glared at the man on the floor.

Fudge was silent for a moment before he nodded. "I can do that, don't worry. I'll get you your trial for Black and Pettigrew as soon as I can." Harry grinned triumphantly and felt his stomach flip in excitement. "But, you three might have to testify yourselves. After all, you do know plenty more than anybody else does and you were the ones who caught Pettigrew and brought him here."

"That's fine, we'll do that," Harry said quickly.

"We'll do anything to get him freed," Hermione said.

Ron nodded along with them.

"Are you sure school children going on trial is such a good idea?" McGonagall asked with slight worry in her voice. "They're so young."

"It's fine, we can handle it," Harry said in assurance.

She sighed and relented. "Alright. But I wish to be there, too. As support for my students, of course."

"I would ask you to come, anyway. You are also a witness to this. As are you, Headmaster. Professor Snape? Would you like to be included?" Fudge asked.

Severus pursed his lips for a moment and had a look of annoyance on his face and for a second, Harry thought he was going to say no, which would have hurt him. But after he locked eyes with him and took in his dishevelled state, Severus sighed and simply nodded.

Sirius was shocked from where he watched underneath the cloak. Snivellus - no, Snape - was actually willing to attend his trial and defend him? What had gotten into the man? Had he really changed? This doesn't necessarily make him like the man any more but he's touched by the decision he's making on his behalf. 

Especially since Harry's face lit right up after Snape nodded. He looked so relieved and happy which he was all too grateful to see. Even if it was Snape that caused it. He didn't know what the relationship between them was, but as long as it was healthy and the man wasn't treating him cruelly, he wouldn't try to interfere and break them up. He wasn't _that_ kind of person.

After some more talking, Fudge decided it was best to head back to the Ministry and take Pettigrew with him. He Stunned him and the Headmaster went with him to help explain the situation to the Aurors. Apparently, they'd find a holding cell for him there until it was time for his trial, whenever that would be, and then once Sirius won, they would transfer him to Azkaban where he'd rot forever.

As the Headmaster headed towards the door with the Minister and Pettigrew however, he turned his head discreetly and his eyes twinkled in the direction Harry was standing, looking to his right where Sirius just so happened to be hiding underneath the cloak by his side. Harry thought he was going to say something and perhaps stun Sirius but instead, he gave a small smile and walked out the door, staying silent and acting as if he'd seen nothing at all.

"Did he see you?" Harry whispered quietly.

"Possibly. It's Dumbledore," Sirius whispered back.

"What do we do?" Harry said worriedly. "Will he rat you out? You're innocent."

"That's why I'm not worried," Sirius said calmly. "And Dumbledore's good people. He knows when someone is lying, most of the time. He's like a mind reader."

Harry held back a snort, not wanting to draw attention to them and expose Sirius' whereabouts to Severus and McGonagall who were talking quietly about something. Either Sirius was joking and didn't know Dumbledore was a Legillemens or he knew and that was his subtle way of telling him.

"Alright, you three!" McGonagall said sternly. "Off to bed. It's far too late."

"Yes. And someone has to take care of something," Severus said whilst staring at him.

Harry sighed. "Sev, it's okay. They know," he muttered.

"They know?" his eyes went wide.

Harry nodded. "Unfortunately, someone thought it would be a good idea to blurt stuff out," he said whilst glaring at Hermione. "Ron, Hermione, Sirius and Lupin all know."

McGonagall and Severus sighed. "Alright, I doubt there shall be any problems that will come from this. Neither one of you will say a word," McGonagall pointed to both Gryffindor students, although giving Hermione a more stern look. The girl nodded quickly. "Lupin is a werewolf himself, therefore he will hardly be judgemental. And if everything you have said tonight is true about Black... I doubt he'd care too much, either. He was friends with Lupin during their time at school, after all."

Harry hummed and winced, clutching his belly. The pain in his body had subsided since he got out the moonlight and that was a blessing, however he still needed to get to bed and _eat something_.

"With me, now. Come on," Severus said whilst holding Harry gently by the arm and leading him in the direction of the staircase. "We'll get you fixed up."

"Thank you," Harry croaked out, voice going hearse. Sirius decided it was best to leave, knowing Snape would probably take care of him whilst he was gone for the time being. If he didn't, he'd just hex him. He headed down to the dungeons and left Harry's Invisibility Cloak in the corner for him to find, turning back into his dog form and running quickly out the school.

Harry would be okay. Remus would be okay. He'd be okay. Everything would be okay.

* * *

Harry kept in touch with Sirius through letters for the duration of the next few days, simply catching up and seeing how the man was doing now that he was out of prison. He'd taken to locking himself up in his ancestral home and was scrubbing it from top to bottom to make it shiny and new again. He wanted it to be presentable for when Harry came to see it which he thought was sweet.

It was something he hadn't stopped thinking about ever since he first mentioned it to him. He knew he wouldn't go back to the Dursleys anyway but even then, if he could, he most certainly wouldn't because he has Sirius to live with. A godfather who actually cares about him, some real family.

He'd been practising his Patronus Charm in secret whilst he was alone in his dorm and while he tried to conjure up those happy memories to make the spell work, the one that always popped into his head and really got the spell bright was when he thought of living with Sirius.

Nessie was happy about it, too. She'd no longer have to hide away in a bedroom and risk getting stomped on by nasty people who would want to throw her out into the garden. Sirius had no problem with her, he'd assured him of that when he was complementing him on his Parselmouth ability - something that made his heart swell, as most people would do the opposite - therefore she could roam free around the house and feel comfortable.

Lupin had finally transformed back into his human form and come back to school, looking awful. He had cuts and scratches all over his body which Harry helped him clean up, despite the man saying he was fine. He noticed the appreciative smile on his face, however. It was always nice to have someone fuss over you, especially if they understood.

"How are you feeling?" he asked Lupin as they were in his office. "No lies. I'll know."

The man rubbed his sore eyes and caved in. "Alright, fine. I've been better. Everything hurts."

Harry winced in sympathy. "Been there," he said whilst handing him a potion for a headache. "I brewed it myself. Drink it, it'll help."

"You sound like me when I try to get students to eat chocolate," Lupin smiled, chugging back the vial. Harry chuckled at him, nodding in agreement. "How are you feeling?" Lupin asked.

"Physically? I still feel groggy and sore, too. But that's expected, just like always. Emotionally? I feel great," he said with a massive grin.

"Oh?" Lupin said amused.

"Sirius and me have been writing back and forth all week and I've already learned so much about him," he said happily. "And he's been so supportive of so many things that I never could tell anybody before. I have secrets that I keep to myself because I think if I tell people, they'll get scared and run away. Not even Ron and Hermione know," he muttered. "But I told Sirius and he doesn't mind. He's made me feel so much better about myself," he said in a quiet and pleasant voice.

Lupin nodded at him and put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing slightly. "I'm happy for you, truly. I don't think I've seen you this happy before."

"Because I don't think I've been this happy before," Harry bit his lip.

"How does it feel? Finally having some real family in your life?" Lupin raised an eyebrow and smirked.

Harry sighed happily. "Overwhelming, for starters. But in the good way. Like I can't get enough and that's okay. I love that," he laughed.

"Good," Lupin smiled. "That's very good."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> I hope you like the direction this is going in. I'm happy with the way it's turning out, myself. It's very fun :)
> 
> fun fact: I was going to kill off Pettigrew but decided that I needed him for the later books because he can come in pretty handy with some death eater stuff ooh


	27. Shocking Realisations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silas gives Harry a reality check, Lupin leaves and Harry writes to Sirius.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're getting into the good stuff now!

**"I'm so proud of you, youngling,"** Nessie said happily. **"Does this mean you'll be leaving those horrid humans back at that house where the lady died?"**

**"Yep. And you're coming with me,"** he smiled, making her whip her tail excitedly. **"It'll be great. We won't have to live in fear and pain anymore. I'll have someone who actually cares for me and you can roam free without the risk of getting hurt."**

**"Sounds like a fantastic idea,"** Nessie nodded. **"It shall be good for you to spend more time with dog kind."**

Harry laughed at her. **"I suppose you're right."**

**"I'm always right."**

Harry decided to take her a walk on the grounds to give her some fresh air when suddenly there was a quick breeze right past him. He looked around startled and thought someone was trying to throw a spell at him or it was the wind when he noticed something in his hand. It was a letter that had discreetly been placed there, it would seem.

> _Meet me in our usual place_
> 
> _I have some things to share with you_
> 
> _**Silas** _

Harry huffed and headed on his way to the Chamber, Nessie following behind him. They both ignored the gasps and screams of the people nearby who saw the massive snake slithering next to him, unafraid of showing her off anymore.

For the longest of time, Harry did his best to keep her existence to the school a secret as he was scared of judgement and someone making complaints, trying to get her kicked out. But it seemed unfair keeping her cooped up under his robes, in his bag or dorm all the time. She needed to be free and roam around happily. 

Besides, they were bonded and Sirius assured him through letter that no matter how weird or scary an animal may seem to other people, a bond is a permanent and serious thing between animal and person that can't be broken or separated. It's a special thing that others who haven't formed a bond with an animal will never truly understand.

To his surprise, Harry found out that not even the Headmaster could step in and try to split them up without having a Ministry official who dealt with these specific things coming after him and breathing down his neck, giving him a firm lashing. Therefore he felt a whole lot more comfortable with his girl by his side like this.

He would gladly answer anyone's questions if he had to, he wasn't ashamed of her and she definetly loved the attention. People just had to get it through their heads that she wouldn't hurt anyone unless they gave her a reason to or he told her to, which he most certinally didn't plan on doing. She was a good girl at heart, she loved pats on her head and being given rats or potatoes to eat. They were free to feed her if they wanted, as long as she was hungry, of course. She didn't want to get fat. Who would have thought a snake could get body conscious?

She loved compliments, too. The insults and disgusted looks from people were doing them all more harm than good. If they planned on staying in her good books and didn't want to get bitten, it was best they cut that out as soon as possible.

He reached the Chamber eventually and smiled at Nessie's antics as she yelled the entire time in excitement when they went down the slide. It was just like the Knight Bus when they rode it. He always felt sick however she seemed to have some reckless streak and loved the thing.

They headed through the dark corridors and Harry hissed to some more doors to open up, allowing him access to the platform where the statue of Salazar Slytherin laid and was his official meeting place with the vampire when they practised magic.

He spotted him in there with a toothy grin on his face and Harry walked up to him with his arms crossed. "Where have you been?"

"About that-"

"You left me. For weeks!" Harry glared angrily. "So much has happened and I really could have used some help."

"I knew you could handle yourself. You're incredibly strong," the man smiled.

"That doesn't matter!"

Nessie stared at them both, her head bobbing back and forth as they talked. 

Silas sighed. "I explained some things in the letter I sent to you, didn't I?"

"You told me you _would_ explain when you saw me next. You didn't tell me what it was," Harry narrowed his eyes. 

"I'm here to do just that," Silas held up his hands to calm him.

"Go on then."

"I've been asking around. I haven't found much on the matter which was incredibly frustrating, believe me," the man sighed. "But I've been trying to find out more information on that book you read last year."

"You mean Death's Book?" Harry asked with wide eyes.

Silas nodded. "Yes, that one. I couldn't read it myself because of the stereotype around it and what if it just so happens to be true? I would end up cursed, myself. Then how could I help you?" he said with a serious voice. "Some people I asked didn't seem to know about it and thought I was a compulsive liar. Some people seemed to know _something_ but refused to tell. Perhaps they were scared, I don't blame them. Others reluctantly told me snippets of what they knew. Stuff we already knew of."

"The things I read in the book? About how the Dementors suck out the soul or just kill you and then Death will take you into the Afterlife?" Harry said anxiously.

Silas nodded again. "Exactly that. What we know from the book, Death, himself has the ability to either let you pass on in the Afterlife or if he has plans for you, he'll do you the great honour of allowing you to come back into the mortal world - this world. But some people end up deranged or in his debt. That's what I recalled hearing from some people, too. But nothing more."

"Do you think these are some people who've read the book, themselves?" Harry gasped. "That's how they know so much."

"It's a possibility. Another thought that's been clouding my mind is perhaps these are the very few people who have visited Death in the Afterlife and have come back. They all looked so... ragged and shaky. Paranoid. As if they've seen something terrible and the conversation was giving them PTSD flashbacks. I believe that's why they didn't share so much."

"Because it was traumatising?" Harry asked.

"Wouldn't you be traumatised?" Silas raised an eyebrow. "I certinally would be. However I know better than to read it by now," he gave Harry a reprimanding look.

"What do I do? I read it, Silas! Almost a year ago! And the Dementors have been following me since. Even my Boggart is a Dementor. They keep threatening me, saying they're coming for me and getting closer. And they are. I've seen them in person. They're horrible!" Harry said in a panic, shivering slightly.

Nessie could tell he was distressed and coiled herself around him as comfort, which he appreciated.

"It's alright, Harrison. You've been practising the Patronus Charm, haven't you?" Silas asked.

"Yes. Recently it became really bright," Harry smiled. "It didn't take on the form of an animal yet, but I think if I practice a bit more then it might."

"That's great. What memory were you thinking of that got it so bright?" Silas asked.

Harry grinned widely. "I was thinking about Sirius. About writing to him and living with him. About getting him cleared of all charges."

"Ah, yes. Your godfather," Silas nodded. "Let's talk about that."

Silas and Harry began catching up for a few minutes on the things the man had missed whilst he was away, Harry explaining the situation with Pettigrew and how he was alive, currently in a Ministry holding cell. He explained how Sirius was falsely charged and was going to clear his name, therefore Harry could go live with him in his home and have a real family. He also explained how that smell that'd been bugging him all year turned out to be Lupin, his DADA teacher of all people because he's a werewolf too.

The last part didn't seem to surprise Silas so much and he scolded himself slightly for not picking something like that up sooner as it was so blatantly obvious. He assured Harry if he knew, he'd tell him right away.

"What do you think your Headmaster will say if he finds out you're switching homes?" Silas asked curiously. "Have you thought this through properly? He may not grant you permission."

Harry scoffed. "I don't need his permission! Sirius is my legal guardian, my parents granted him that right when I was a baby if anything were to ever happen to them. I trust him and I want to go with him. I don't want to stay with the Dursleys. I just can't," he mumbled.

"Ah yes, because of your temper tantrum and you poisoned your dear Aunt," Silas taunted.

Harry glared. "We both know she deserved that. Don't kid yourself."

Silas shrugged. "Perhaps. You haven't been up to anything else whilst I've been gone, have you?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

Harry blinked. "No, why do you ask?"

"Harrison," Silas took in a deep breath, which still confused Harry because he had no idea how vampires could even do that, and composed himself whilst speaking in a tight voice, "I know something happened whilst I was gone. Something involving a school boy of your age. Do you remember?"

"Oh yeah, the boy who died," Harry tutted. "Shame, really. He killed himself because his parents got divorced or something like that," he waved his hand nonchalantly.

Silas was silent for a moment before he suddenly appeared right in front of him, hand grabbing a fistful of Harry's shirt and glaring down at him. "Idiot child!" he snapped.

"Excuse me?" Harry gaped. "What's gotten into you? When did you become so rude?"

"When did you become so reckless?" Silas hissed. "So destructive."

"I am not destructive! Why would you say that?" Harry said insulted. 

"You may be an accomplished Occlumens but I am a five hundred year old vampire with abilities that not even you are capable of achieving as it is not part of your natural ability. Therefore I see through that innocent charade. It's childish and pathetic, as are you!" Silas yelled at him. "We both know that boy didn't take his own life."

"I-"

"Do not speak!" the man hissed at him again, instantly making Harry shut up as he was slightly worried that he may rip out his throat. "You killed him, didn't you? Do not attempt to lie. I will know. You may speak."

"Yes. I did kill him," Harry said quietly. "But he deserved it, okay?!" he snapped.

"Why was that?"

"He was bullying me. Throwing these awful Dung Bombs at me and laughing as I choked and couldn't breath. It was in public and everyone laughed, not bothering to help. He's been a constant pain in my arse for years now, especially as of recent. I just couldn't take it anymore."

"So you thought murdering the boy was a good way of revenge?" Silas glared.

"I didn't originally plan to," Harry rolled his eyes. "I wanted to do the same thing he did to me but after seeing him in the Owlery up by the high window and having my cloak with me, the idea just popped into my head. We were all alone, nobody saw."

"What if somebody finds out it was you?"

Harry huffed. "They won't. They're all thicker than pea soup. I covered my tracks well, made it look like he left a suicide note. A bit morbid, I realise that," he bit his lip awkwardly.

Silas let him go, giving him a slight shove backwards as he did so. "This isn't helping my case, at all. You're fragmenting your soul far too much, child. You know that killing rips it apart. You're aware of the consequences, you're not stupid."

"I know that," Harry sighed tiredly. "I felt bad about it afterwards, I'm not even lying. I felt like I shouldn't have done it. But then I remembered what he'd done to me so I made myself... not regret it, I guess."

"It would seem you still have your morals, deep down. That's a good thing to know and it's nice that you're realising that. It would be terrible if you became unhinged and I lost you all together," Silas said with a hint of sadness in his voice, but with a stern and disappointed look on his face, clearly struggling with his emotions. "This is just going to make you more vulnerable to the Dementors."

"How?" Harry asked in bewilderment.

"As we both know, they come after people to take their soul. You are aware of this, remember?" Silas said with a raised eyebrow. Harry nodded quickly. "Well, for most people it's simply one soul and that's just their own. Unfragmented, unbroken. One simple Dementor shall do the job."

"So?" Harry asked carefully. 

"So... You have split your soul into multiple pieces. Hence there being so many Dementors coming after you. They're trying to pick you off, piece by piece. You're like a walking feast to them! It's horrible," Silas scowled. "I'll try my best to keep them away from you but who knows what'll happen if that fails. You'll surely be broken beyond repair. Death, himself will definetly want to have his way with you," Silas stared hard at him. "You've really messed up."

Harry was silent as he processed the information. The man was right - he really did split his soul into several pieces more than he could even remember by this point. No wonder the Dementors, both real and Boggart, kept taunting him with their awful words of saying they were all coming for him and saying they were close. It was always plural, never singular.

He suddenly felt sick. He threw up on the ground. He was screwed.

* * *

Harry went to visit Lupin again and was shocked to find the man packing his bags and looking depressed. He waited at his door and knocked, entering when the man gave him a hand gesture.

"Professor, what's going on? Why are you packing all your things away in a trunk?" Harry asked in confusion. "If it's because I raided your drawers before, I promise I won't do it again. I just wanted the map back and-"

Lupin held up a hand again to silence him. "Relax Harry, it's nothing you've done. It's my problem," the man sighed. "I just think it's a good idea for me to leave the school after the incident that happened the other day. Can't have that happening again."

Harry gaped in shock. "That's ridiculous! And stupid! You're the best Defence teacher we've ever had, you can't just leave. We've finally learned something in our three years of being here and it's been fun. You're nice to your students and don't plan on killing any of us."

Lupin winced. "I doubt people will see it that way after the incident. There will definetly be complaints if I stay, people don't like people like me."

"You mean people like _us_ ," Harry glared.

Lupin sighed and gave him a small smile. "I apologise. You're absolutely correct. People like us." Lupin was silent for a moment before continuing. "Sometimes I just forget there are actually other werewolves out there like myself. I always assumed I was the only kind, apart from a few particular ones who aren't so nice."

"You mean Greyback?"

Lupin's eyes widened. "How do you know that name?"

Harry shrugged. "It hardly matters. As he's one of my kind, I'm bound to find out these kinds of things anyway."

Lupin eyed him curiously before letting it go. "You must know, Harry, that just because I lost control of myself and decide to leave, it does not reflect back onto you. You may be the same kind as me but you are very different than me in so many ways. Much cleverer, as you actually remember to take your potion," he laughed. 

Harry sighed heavily. "I don't care. I've lost control before, myself. You don't know this because you were off... y'know. But, when I was in my first year, I forgot to take my potion because I was dealing with some serious stuff, things I don't want to talk about, and I ended up killing my Defence teacher." Lupin's eyes went wide at the statement. "At least you're able to understand where I'm coming from. He didn't. He was too busy being torn apart," he cringed.

"It wasn't your fault, this happens," Lupin comforted whilst putting a hand on his shoulder. 

"Exactly!" Harry pointed at him. "And am I leaving the school? No. Dumbledore still allows me access here because he understood it wasn't my fault. If he deemed me a true threat, I'd have my wand snapped, be kicked out and sent to Azkaban."

Lupin smiled at him with sincerity in his eyes. "You truly are your mother's son. You have genuine love and care in your heart. And of course, you have her eyes." Harry's stomach swept around in happiness at hearing the news. "Yet, you look so much like your father. And you definetly have his streak for trouble making," the man grinned.

Harry looked down at his shoes to hide his red cheeks. "Thanks. That means a lot."

"Of course. Unfortunately, I better get back to packing," Lupin said with a heavy sigh.

Harry got the message and nodded, heading for the door to leave the man alone to pack up. "Will I ever see you again?" he asked nervously.

Lupin stared at him and smiled warmly. "Would you like to?"

"Well obviously. You're one of the nicest people I know and it's good to talk to someone like me," he muttered. "You make me feel not so alone. A bit like Sirius."

Lupin came up to him quickly and gave him a quick hug which he returned instantly. "I'm glad to hear that. Yes, we'll definetly see each other again. First at Sirius' trial and then we can write to each other. Perhaps we can meet during the holidays, if you'd like?"

"I'd like that," Harry smiled and left.

* * *

"Harry!" 

Harry sighed and turned around slowly in the hallway as he heard the all too familiar squeaky voice of Hermione Granger. Why couldn't he just head to the Great Hall in peace? 

"What now?" he asked in a flat voice. He was still mad at her for exposing him the way she did in the Shrieking Shack just because she wanted answers out of curiosity.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing," she said in a timid voice. 

"Do you?" he raised his brow. "Sure you're not here to question me about anything or throw accusations in my face?"

Hermione let out a heavy breath. "I know, I'm terribly sorry. I've been wanting to come and talk to you for days but Professor McGonagall insisted that I give you your space to calm down and breath. She said if I came to you too soon, I'd overwhelm you."

"She's clever," he narrowed his eyes. "Because that's exactly what you're doing."

"Har-"

"You had no right!" he yelled. "No right at all!"

"I know that!" Hermione yelled back desperately. "If I could take it all back now, I would. God, I feel terrible about this."

"Y'know what you should feel terrible about? Lupin has to leave the school now. He was the best Defence teacher we've ever had and he's seen as some kind of monster, which he's not, yet with the things you said I'll bet he's happy to be going so he doesn't have to see the likes of you!" Harry spat. "I wish I could do the same."

Hermione was silent before wringing her hands and looking miserable. "What can I do? I said it didn't bother me, you remember? I truly meant that."

Harry glared at her. "Have you apologised to Lupin?" She shook her head and he grit his teeth. "Do it." She nodded immediately. 

"How're things with Sirius?" she asked after a minutes silence. "Hopefully the trial is soon and he can be a free man again. That's uplifting, isn't it?"

Harry was mad that she was trying to blatantly use Sirius as an out to try and fix the situation like this and cheer him up. He wasn't happy with her and no matter how much she talked to him about his godfather, he still wouldn't forgive her. However, he didn't want to continue standing here in the hallway and have a fight so he just nodded and looked down the hall. 

"It's lunch time. Are you coming or going?" he asked irritably.

"Going. Do you want to walk together?" she asked hopefully.

He side eyed her and scoffed, taking off at a quick pace. "I'll walk. You can attempt to keep up."

She just trailed after him like a scolded puppy.

* * *

__

> _Dear Sirius,_
> 
> _You won't believe this, it's so laughable. But, Hermione came up to me earlier today and asked to speak to me. She had the audacity to say she feels bad about what she did in the shack and how she would take it all back. What a compulsive liar she is! I know she wouldn't, not for a second. She'd never give up information like this. Who would?_
> 
> _The worst part is, she didn't even apologise to Professor Lupin, I had to persuade her to. Silly girl that she is, so selfish_
> 
> _I just can't believe Professor Lupin is leaving, it's so unfair! Although, I guess I should probably stop calling him 'Professor' now if that's the case. Saying 'Lupin' simply stings, though. It feels like the end of an era. He shouldn't have to leave his job, it's not his fault he has a medical condition. It won't happen again, I'd make sure of it_
> 
> _People are just too judgemental. I hate them all so much_
> 
> _Perhaps I'm overthinking all of this. What do you think? You're older and wiser. Got any advice?_
> 
> _**Harry** _

Harry stared down at the letter, checking it for any mistakes before attaching it to Hedwig's leg and sending her off with it, receiving a reply from Sirius' grey owl a couple of hours later which was somehow always intent on biting and nibbling at his fingers.

__

> _Dear Harry,_
> 
> _I must admit, that's pretty bold of her to come up to you and apologise like that, especially considering she was the one who blurted out your secret, along with Remus' in the first place. It makes sense that she's a Gryffindor. They're known for both their nerve and recklessness. I would know first hand_
> 
> _I don't know her that well but from what I gathered in the shack, I wouldn't have taken her for one to apologise easily. It's a kind gesture for her to do, unless you're suspicious that is was fake. You are a Slytherin, aren't you bunch pretty good at detecting when people are being deceitful? It's like some form of gift you all have and it's quite impressive_
> 
> _If it's not the Slytherin cunning and cleverness you want to use, how about you try a little bit of the Legillimency you told me you could do? It couldn't help to try. I won't tell anyone, pinky swear_
> 
> _It's good you persuaded her to talk to Remus and apologise, very honourable of you and shows how much you care. I'm very proud, as will he be honoured_
> 
> _It surely is a shame that he had to leave, I know. He really was the best teacher, given what you've told me. Plus I do know what a fantastic wizard he is. But, we all know that the Ministry would come down hard on him if he were to stay. And Dumbledore, too. Remus took one for the team, as they say. Hopefully he'll find work elsewhere. Somewhere where people aren't so uppity all the time_
> 
> _Just remember, my sweet little Harry. Hate is a very strong word and emotion. It can ruin the most powerful of friendships and relationships in a second, even though it can take years to build them. Use this word with caution and only if you truly mean it. I trust your judgement, as should you_
> 
> _Everything will be okay in the end, it always is. That is a promise. I can't wait until the summer where I can finally have you in my arms again and hold you. I miss you so much and I've definetly had one million showers by now so I no longer stink. The place is looking pretty good, too! Much love,_
> 
> _**Sirius** _

Harry stared down at the letter with a small smile on his face. Sirius always did know just the right things to say to make him feel better. Sometimes he didn't always agree but he'd take his advice anyway and sure enough, it'd somehow come in handy. Despite spending twelve years in prison, the man hadn't lost his touch with reality and still had that Marauder's streak, as he liked to call it.

He was mature on the outside but still a teen on the inside and Harry loved it as it was the completed opposite for him. They were practically made for each other.

He did appreciate the advice given to him about hatred. He'd never truly thought about it that way. He always let his emotions get the best of him and that often resulted in people getting poisoned, pushed out windows or set on fire. He vowed to at least _try_ and keep his emotions in check from now on, especially if he was going to be living with Sirius. It's supposed to be a fun time. What would he have to be upset about?

And if he did get upset about something, the last thing he'd want to do is upset the man or worry him. Sirius cared deeply about him and believed in him, more than anyone ever seemed to. Harry owed him at least that much.

He'll be a good godson. He _will_. Suddenly, a thought popped into his head. One that hadn't been there for a while and he thought Sirius may be of help in that area too.

> _I appreciate that advice so much, you have no idea. I'll try to work on some aspects in that area. It seems like a good idea. You always know how to make me feel better_
> 
> _However, I've been wondering... Since Pettigrew got sent to that holding cell, does this mean the Dementors are gone?_
> 
> _I've not seen them around the school which I'm all too pleased about as I hate them so much, but you're not guilty and they have no reason to target you anymore, do they? Or will they be guarding the Ministry because Pettigrew is there? If that's the case, they'd be guarding that place all the time as there's always criminals in holding cells. Weird_
> 
> _Perhaps they've just floated away back to Azkaban where they belong. Actually, they belong in the deepest pits of the ocean and hopefully they'll drown_
> 
> _**Harry** _

He couldn't help but let his hatred for the awful monsters slip into the letter. They were the worst kinds of beings and he was familiar with a lot, especially since he is one. But something about Dementors just gnawed at him and made him shiver every time. Not even due to icy coldness they produced but because of pure fear.

Just a teensy little bit more practise and he'd perfect the Patronus Charm in no time, he's sure of it. He could show Lupin and he'd be proud. He knows Sirius would be. He's always proud of him. It's a wonderful feeling.

__

> _I'm glad I make you feel that way, it's always my intention. You deserve happiness and I hope I can bring that to you in due time_
> 
> _As for the Dementors, well, that's a tough question to answer. You are certinally correct in the sense that they should be guarding the Ministry if that were the case, however I doubt the Minister and Aurors would want those things around the place all the time as they'd make them feel more paranoid than they already are. Besides, not everyone can cast a Patronus and it could go haywire if someone were attacked in a place that's supposed to be safe_
> 
> _Ironic how they had them at Hogwarts, isn't it? The safest school in Britain_
> 
> _Perhaps, they are back guarding Azkaban by now if you haven't seen them around. Please, do not go looking for them! Unless you can fully cast your Patronus Charm (and even then I still do not recommend it) I don't want you stumbling upon them, as you have a high risk chance of getting killed. I won't allow that._
> 
> _Let's just hope they've left, although I'll certinally feel pity for the criminals in there as it's not nice. Too bad. Those are the people who deserve it, believe me. Over the years I've heard some nasty stuff from some previous Death Eaters in their cells. I won't repeat it for your sake of mind, but let's just say, their minds are completely scrambled_
> 
> _**Sirius** _

Harry bit his lip, feeling nervous. Even Sirius didn't know what happened to the Dementors and their whereabouts. He thought he'd hear at least something, now that he was out and about. But nope, he was just as clueless as him and that was worrying.

The Minister must have sent them back to Azkaban prison by now. There are hundreds, possibly thousands of criminals in there being unguarded and that's dangerous. Why would he let them roam around free like this to capture a man who he knows is innocent? He wouldn't. Sirius is getting his trial and that's a good sign for him. But why would the Dementors need to keep an eye on Pettigrew if he was currently locked up in a Ministry holding cell with absolutely no way out? 

That wouldn't happen either. Just like Sirius said, not every Auror or worker can cast a Patronus and that's dangerous for them all. Pettigrew is safe enough as it is. They don't need to risk their lives with Dementors at this moment in time, do they?

It was all very confusing to Harry and he briefly thought about writing a letter to the Minister himself for answers, however, he was a very busy man and he doubted if he'd even get a reply.

He just sighed and wrapped himself up in his bed blankets, attempting to fall asleep but feeling unusually restless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> this story will be finishing up within the next few chapters, I believe. I hope it'll end well, it's been something I've been working on since chapter 1 lol. then it's book 5 :D


	28. Forest Dangers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dreams, learning new information and visits from Dementors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet the wait was worth it hehe. One more chapter to go!

_He was walking on what looked like a dark and narrow path, following the trail that led him into the distance. He could see a figure at the end and a shimmer of light but it was too far away and blurry to make it out properly._

_The ground beneath him crunched and snapped. He realised he was walking on dirt and twigs, fallen branches from trees above him. It looked very much like a forest. What was he even doing in a forest?_

_He heard whispering coming from the distance where the shadowed figure was and frowned, trying to pick it up with his increased hearing, yet somehow was unable. He shouted out to the figure, yelled for help but got no answer._

_Everything around him was quiet and still. The only sound was the noise from his shoes and the eerie whispering, the sound of his ragged breaths as he panted, anxiety coursing through him. He had no idea where he was or why he was even here. He took a look round and saw more trees and bushes. Yep, definetly a forest._

_He sighed and mustered up a massive amount of courage, walking towards the figure quickly, bored of it's whispers and taunting. The quicker he walked towards it, the faster it seemed to move away. He growled and began to sprint but it just seemed to run away from him, as if trying to escape. He yelled out to it, demanding that it stop._

_The air around him began to get colder the closer he got towards the figure. He stopped running and shivered, the figure finally halting in place, too. It was creepy looking, like a Dementor. However, he knew it wasn't. He was too familiar with them to know exactly what they looked like by now._

_It looked black and tall, like a person wearing a long cloak. It appeared to look in his direction but it's large hood blocked it's face so he couldn't identify who it was, much to his frustration. It slowly reached out a hand and he saw it's long and bony fingers point in his direction, making his eyes widen. He'd never seen hands like that before. It was like looking at a skeleton. It was horrible._

_It made a hand gesture for him to walk towards it, towards where the bright light was, and he got an uneasy feeling in his belly that he somehow shouldn't follow. But, another part of him was fighting, as if telling him it was okay to go and this was right. He bit his lip and reached out his own hand slowly, the air between them growing more icy cold. He nearly touched the cloaked skeleton's hand, was about to grab it and let it take him away._

_He was going to let it do what it wanted with him-_

Harry suddenly woke up with a breath, gasping and clutching his chest tightly, sweat pouring down his back and making his shirt stick to his skin. He felt hot and cold at the same time.

He was in mild panic mode, looking around him to check where he was and calmed down when he realised he was safe and sound in his dormitory bed. The curtains were pulled shut and Nessie was cuddled into him protectively, offering words of comfort which he appreciated as usual. 

He got up and headed to the bathroom to clean up, staring in shock at his appearance in the mirror. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked deathly pale, as if he'd been to hell and back. It wasn't even a werewolf problem, the moon night wasn't for weeks yet so he was confused as to what caused his sudden awful appearance.

Although, he did try to remember the horrible dream he just had. It was beginning to slip from his memory but he held on to parts of it. Something about a forest and a hand. Someone spooky being there. It probably doesn't even mean anything, it could just be a vivid imagination, he thinks.

He sighs and checks the time, noticing it's past three o'clock in the morning and rubs his tired eyes. He buries his head into his pillow and falls back into a deep sleep which he can't remember this time round.

* * *

Everyone was packing up their school things as it was time to go home after the weekend. They were saying goodbye to their friends and sharing hugs whilst Harry just brooded alone. He'd already packed his things after he saw Lupin do so. Part of him just wanted to leave the school and go with the man, however he knew Lupin wouldn't allow it as he wouldn't jeopardise his education like that for him. He was too kind and honourable.

The nightmare had been bothering him ever since it happened a couple of days ago and it wouldn't leave his head. He'd find himself staring off into the distance lost in thought and being pulled back to reality when someone snapped their fingers in front of his face to gather his attention. It was both frustrating and a blessing.

He couldn't figure out what it meant. If it were simply a Dementor in the dream, he'd understand he was just feeling paranoid about the whole ordeal of not knowing where their whereabouts are, however he knew it wasn't one as those creatures don't have hands like that and talk in whispers the way the cloaked figure did. He annoyingly felt like he was missing something vital but refused to talk to anyone about it.

Not Silas, not Severus or Sirius, not even Nessie due to worrying her. For a split second, he debated about going to the Headmaster and asking his opinion on certain matters like these as the man was old and had probably seen quite a lot in his lifetime. It couldn't hurt to ask if he knew anything about cloaked figures or where the Dementors were. But the anxiety got the best of him and he scolded himself as he realised the man might think he's gone off the rails and try to sit him down to have some special therapeutic talk with him that he most certinally didn't want.

Dumbledore never had any bad intentions towards him, he knew this. He was just incredibly annoying and far too perceptive at times. Times when he'd rather the man just be oblivious. It's a skill he's trying to work on, himself. He knows the old man suspects his bond between him and Nessie to be far more than he lets on, however he hasn't ever accused him of anything outright and he doubts he would. What would he accuse him of? Being some dark wizard? He's hardly that.

Harry knows he's done some questionable things in the past and most likely will continue to do so in the future, but to call him a dark or evil wizard is just preposterous. He's no different than Dumbledore. Clever, magically strong and has a thirst for knowledge. The man could hardly feel threatened by him for that. 

"Y'know," Daphne's voice spoke up beside him as she sat herself down on the leather couch, "since you're going to live with Black now, I'll bet all my Galleons - and I have quite a lot - that he'd be in possession of one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight books you need."

Harry looked at her shocked. "How do you know that for sure? I was still going to go to Knockturn. I wouldn't even know how to begin asking him for it. I would feel so awkward..." he trailed off. He really did feel some sense of unease about asking Sirius all about the book as he didn't know if the man even approved of these kinds of things. But, he'd listen to what the girl had to say.

"Well, he's from an ancient and noble family: the Blacks. They've followed rich, ancient Pureblood traditions for hundreds of years, even if he's decided not to do so," she sighed but didn't comment on it. "I'll bet in his home, wherever it is, he'd most likely have old family relics there that you'd find if you look hard enough. One of them obviously being the Sacred Twenty-Eight book. He may not approve, himself, and he may not have even read it, but you can be sure his parents did and it'll be sitting around somewhere."

"I didn't even consider that," Harry muttered to himself in thought.

Daphne shrugged. "Well, now you have. It's just something for you to think about. I'd look up what you need for your research but as I've said before, families around here tend to keep their claws in their possessions, especially books. My daddy has given me some minor details about our family background but overall, he won't allow myself or my little sister to read the book until we turn of age," she rolled her eyes. "He's stubborn like that."

"I appreciate the gesture, anyway. Thank you," he smiled halfheartedly and got a nod in return, watching her stand up and skip away, leaving him alone on the couch as he stared into the warm fire that soared in the common room keeping the place warm.

* * *

Harry really didn't want to do this as he promised he'd keep it to himself but he didn't know how much longer he could take this anymore before he'd explode like a balloon. Besides, he could trust the man and knew that despite the confusion that may come his way, there'd be no real judgement. 

"Severus?" Harry spoke as he entered the man's office. 

"Ah. Look who's finally decided to show his face again rather than hide away in his room," the man pursed his lips as he carefully placed vials away in shelves. "I was beginning to think you'd died in there."

Harry sighed. "No," he mumbled. "I've just been doing a lot of thinking recently."

"Oh? About what?"

"The Dementors of Azkaban," Harry spoke, "where are they?"

"They're back guarding the prison, of course. What's gotten you so riled up like this?" Severus eyed him warily. "You look like you've summoned a demon from hell, your appearance is that awful."

"Thanks," Harry said sarcastically. "But, are you sure they are? Surely something would have been posted in the papers. It would have for people's peace of mind! Most definetly mine," Harry mumbled. "And I know they're not guarding the Ministry right now. So the questions are... where are they and what are they doing?"

Severus turned to him. "I'm sure everything is fine, Harry. The Minister wouldn't allow Dementors to roam around free like this. They've definetly left the school as we haven't seem them in quite a while now. And your statement is correct. They wouldn't be guarding the Ministry as that's a liability they wouldn't want to have on their shoulders. The Aurors would go sparse."

"I don't think everything is fine! You're the only person I've come to in order to talk about this with because I thought you'd believe me," Harry said whilst tearing up much to his embarrassment. He was too exhausted to care, however. "Why won't you take me seriously?" he asked quietly.

Severus stared at him for a moment before nodding and placing his vials down on the table, pulling over two chairs for them to sit on and gesturing for Harry to take a seat.

Harry grumpily came over and sat across from Severus, listening to the man talk.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it. If you believe they aren't guarding the prison then I'll try to find out where they may possibly be." He saw the look of relief on Harry's face and continued. "I'll have a look through newspapers to see if they've mentioned anything and maybe I'll write to some people. I'll definetly have more luck than if you tried that. Perhaps, I'll speak to the Headmaster."

Harry let out a loud breath and nodded. "Thank you," he said genuinely. "That means a lot. I don't want to leave the school and have them attack the train or something again. That was not nice," he shuddered.

"I'm sure it wasn't," Severus said sympathetically. He saw Harry playing with his fingers in a sign of anxiety that he recognised and leaned forward. "Is there anything else you need to tell me? Anything at all?"

Harry looked up at him and gulped, wringing his hands tightly. He shook his head slowly. "Nope, nothing at all."

Severus narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. completely sure," Harry smiled.

Severus didn't believe him but he didn't want to push him to a breaking point by demanding answers. The boy was already a wreck with the thought of Dementors enough as it is, right now. Any added stress could cause him to have a panic attack or even blow up a room with accidental magic which is known to happen and he's just finished cleaning his vials.

"Alright," he nodded and watched as the boy hurriedly left the room. He didn't like the fact he was keeping secrets from him, he thought Harry knew he could trust him with anything by now and he could see whatever it was, it was eating him up. He didn't dare try and use Legillimency on him as that would be a breach of trust and the boy could be a skilled Occlumens and detect it instantly, pushing him from his mind and never trusting him again.

He'd wait until he was ready.

Severus just rubbed his tired eyes and went back to scrubbing the dirty vials and cauldrons, putting them away in their rightful places in the cabinets.

* * *

_Crunch. Crunch. Crunch._

_Snap._

_Puff... Puff..._

_These were the familiar sounds he heard, yet again. The twigs and dirt beneath his feet as he walked through the darkness which he could only assume is a forest due to the large amount of trees. The chilliness of his breath as he let it out, goosebumps forming all over his skin despite the fact he's biologically hardwired to stay warm. What could make him feel so cold?_

_He recognised the area he was standing in. Whether it was a place he'd visited in a dream, seen in pictures or been in real life, he wasn't sure. One thing was for certain, however. He had been here before. It wasn't new and it was both scary and relaxing._

_He squinted his eyes into the distance when he saw a flickering light and tried to call out but his voice was silent. He saw the brief shadow of a cloak walk through the trees and walk towards him, the air getting colder. He shivered from both chilliness and anxiety from what could come from the situation. What was this? Was it a prank someone was pulling?_

_The figure never showed it's face but slowly reached out a hand and-_

Harry woke up with a gasp, the dream being the first thing he remembered. It was the same dream as last time, he's sure of it. The cloak and the trees. It didn't make sense, but are dreams even supposed to make sense? 

He tried to catch his breath and listened in to Nessie's comforting voice again.

 **"Youngling, you were reaching out your hand in your sleep. Trying to grab for something that wasn't there,"** she told him persistently. **"Just like last time. Very odd."**

He nodded at her in understanding despite not really understanding the situating, at all. He just didn't want to worry her. He checked the time and noticed it was past three o'clock in the morning again and groaned, attempting to fall back asleep despite his pounding head and increased paranoia which kept him up most of the night.

* * *

He was leaving the Great Hall when he heard giggles coming from behind him and the sound of footsteps. He thought it was just some random school kids running around until one of them tapped him on the shoulder and called out his name.

"Hey, Harrykins! Slow your pace, you walk way too fast for such a little guy," Fred smiled.

"I think he's just trying to escape us. Dontcha think, Freddie?" George grinned.

"That I do, Georgie."

Harry sighed and looked up at the twins with a blank face. "What is it you both want? I'm quite busy."

"Doing what?" Fred asked. 

"You don't have one minute to spare for your favourite meddlesome twins?" George asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Alright, fine. Get on with it," Harry rolled his eyes.

"That's more like it," George smiled.

"Our mum told us-"

"More like demanded," George interrupted.

"-to tell you that you're welcome to stay with us during the summer if you want," Fred continued on.

"That's if you're not too busy with that Sirius Black guy," George shrugged.

"Yeah, and he snaps and tries to kill you again," Fred snorted.

"He never tried to kill me, at all!" Harry yelled defensively.

Fred held up his hands calmly. "We know, we're just yanking your chain Harrykins."

"Hmm," Harry pursed his lips.

"Well... The offers still there if you want it, though," George said. "Y'know what mum's like. She loves stuffing people with food. Can't ever stand to see someone skinny."

Harry nodded at them. "Thanks, I'll think about it and see if I have some time to write to her if I'm not too busy with Sirius."

"Great!" Fred grinned widely.

"You can bring your snake and freak ickle Ronniekins out, too," George laughed. "That'll be hysterical."

"Yeah, I'll give that one some thought," Harry mumbled to them with a nod and walked off, ignoring the urge to defend Nessie and claim that she wasn't some pet or show toy. He just wanted to get away and lay down for a while as he was so tired. The only thing that was keeping his spirits up lately was the thought of going to live with Sirius. Nothing else. It was like all the energy and happiness was draining out of him and he'd be more concerned if he could actually muster up the energy to do so.

Perhaps he was just overly concerned about the Dementor situation or maybe he was worried about the Dursleys and their reaction to him not coming back to Privet Drive this summer. He never planned on going back there but what if Aunt Petunia somehow managed to contact Dumbledore and tell him things about him because he wasn't around to stop her? Would she do that? Would she even be able to? She's a common muggle and Dumbledore is a wizard, yet she knows of this world and how it works given how her own sister was a witch and she had to see it every day growing up. 

He scoffs and shakes his head, shoving the thought away. Petunia would surely prefer to light herself on fire rather than talk to any of his 'freakish' kind. He's being way too paranoid here and overthinking things. 

_'What if I'm just worried about the Headmaster not agreeing to my living conditions?'_ he thought to himself as he headed back down to the dungeons. _'He might think Sirius should be cleared before he can take me in, officially. I can't wait that long. I have to be with him!'_

 _'Harrison, relax. Everything will be fine,'_ the mystery voice in his head spoke up. He hadn't heard from him in a little bit and jumped when it reappeared, not expecting it. _'You'll be where you ought to be, soon enough. That is a promise...'_ it trailed off.

 _'Oh. Well, thank you for the comfort, I suppose,'_ Harry frowned to himself, feeling confused. 

He continued walking in silence, the sound of his footsteps on the cold stone ground a much bigger difference than the ones from his dream. He felt himself dissociate and slip into a minor flashback event again but thankfully was pulled out of it by a droll voice. 

"Young man, you look like you've seen a ghost," the Bloody Baron told him with a quirk of his lips.

Harry looked up at him and shook his head to clear it. "Um, well, yes. You."

The Baron let out a deep laugh and the candlelight that lit up the hallway shone on his robes, illuminating his deep red blood stains and making Harry hold back a gag.

"You are quite correct, young Harry, just as ever. Now, why don't you tell me what's gotten your face looking so glum?"

Harry shrugged. "Nothing, I'm fine." He tried to move past the Baron but the ghost blocked his way. He realised he could simply walk right through him but that felt disrespectful. He knew that if he were a ghost, Heaven forbid, he'd be enraged if people didn't obey his orders and simply waltzed straight through him without a care in the world. Besides, the Baron was quite frightening when he wanted to be - he was just glad he was on his good side. 

"You know I won't stop prying, young Harry. We've established something akin to a bond since you've been here. I find myself not tired of you as you're much more respectable than some others I've came across. Unfortunately, some of those people are my very own Slytherins," the Baron said with disappointment. "You've offered me companionship and idle conversation. I wish to return that favour. Now, tell me what's gotten you so down. I won't have my snakes looking like they've had their fangs removed."

Harry smiled a little at the silly metaphor and nodded, looking around and noticing they were alone. "Okay. I keep having these bad dreams and I don't know what any of it means."

"What happens in these dreams?" the Baron asked curiously.

"Well, I find myself lost in a woodland area, I believe. There's dirt around me and it's very cold," Harry bit his lip as he thought. "There's whispering but I don't know what it's saying. There's also something moving in the distance and reaching out but I just don't know what it is!" he said in frustration.

"Interesting," the Baron hummed. "Is it reaching out for you in particular?"

"Yes, I think it is. Is that relevant?" Harry asked.

"I'm going to answer that with a question of my own. Remember, we are alone so you have no reason to worry," the Baron said reassuringly. "Now, be honest. Have you ever partook in any any Dark Magic?" he asked seriously.

Harry took a step backwards. "What? No, I don't do that."

"Really?" the Baron asked with a raised eyebrow. "Not even once out of curiosity's sake?"

"Yes! I mean, no. Just stop questioning me about things like that, I don't like it," Harry said with a grim expression.

"You sound defensive," the Baron said with slight amusement. "I shall have you know it is not unheard of for my fellow Slytherins to take part in this kind of magic. Even I did back in the day. Of course, your average Gryffindor would have a few choice words to say about the matter."

"Well, they're all a bunch of goody-two-shoes who like to obey the laws and rules despite having reputations for being trouble makers," Harry curled his lip irritably. "They'll hex you in nasty ways and say it was an accident or self defence yet if a Slytherin student did it, we'd have detention and points taken off. Double standards."

"Quite right you are," the Baron said. "Which is why I tend to never tell on my snakes when I see misdeeds being done in the dungeons. I always protect my snakes as best I can, you know this Harrison, I already told you this or have you forgotten?" he glared.

"No, I have not. I remember clearly."

"Good."

"Have you ever told on a Slytherin student before?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"To this day, never. Even when I've seen the very worst of things being done," the ghost sighed. "We still must defend our own."

"What are the worst things you've seen?" Harry asked.

"About fifty years ago there was a boy, very handsome and charming, much like yourself. He was a Prefect and went on to be Head Boy. He had so much going for him in his time here at Hogwarts. He had amazing exam results in school and was popular amongst his Slytherin students. He even befriended myself and the ghost that haunts the female bathroom on the first floor," the Baron told him. "Whilst she was still alive, of course."

"You mean Moaning Myrtle?" Harry asked bewildered.

"Yes, I believe so. Although back then, her name was Myrtle Warren. They had an... odd relationship. Not quite best friends but she was an outcast to most of the school, bullied for her looks. The boy understood that quite well as a lot of the school distrusted him and thought him odd, himself, simply due to his background and his living situations. They formed a sort of bond. That was until her ultimate demise," the Baron said gloomily.

Harry stayed silent for a moment whilst he began to click some pieces together. Slowly things began to unravel and he looked up to the Baron with shock. "You're talking about Tom Riddle?" he asked.

"That took you longer than I expected," the Baron smirked. "Yes, it was Riddle who got up to many kinds of mischief in these dungeons."

"Hold on... Did you know that he was practising Dark Magic down here?" Harry asked with narrowed eyes.

"Of course I did. It was obvious in the way the boy simply held himself and the books I saw him sneaking in and out of his bag, which I most likely assume he stole from the Restricted Section in the library."

"If you knew Riddle was practising Dark Magic, why didn't you ever say anything? You should have told the Headmaster! I don't care if you protect your students," Harry scolded him. "Look what he turned out to be now."

"Harrison, even if I did try to stop him by telling the Headmaster back then, it wouldn't have made any difference. Riddle surely would have come up with some amazing excuse and had alibis at the ready to defend himself. He had secretly gathered a group of people to follow alongside him. They most certinally wouldn't have snitched. It's not a Slytherin thing to do," the Baron told him firmly. "He would have found a way to continue doing what he was doing once he graduated anyway. No school rules to stop him then."

Harry sighed in defeat, knowing he was right. This was when Voldemort was in the prime of his life as simply Tom Riddle, when the boy was beginning to gather his first amount of followers who would then later go on to become the Death Eaters. It was all so sickening. 

"You asked me if I'd ever done any Dark Magic," Harry muttered. "Why? All I wanted to do was talk about my dreams."

"Well, you said no. Was that a lie?" the Baron challenged him. "It is relevant."

Harry looked around to make sure they were still alone and simply gave a small nod.

"I knew it. Just like with Riddle, I could sense if from you." Harry's eyes bugged out. "The way you hold yourself so confidently and the energy you give off as you walk by. You radiate fumes of black smoke."

"What on Earth does that mean?" Harry asked whilst looking down at his arms and legs in horror to make sure he wasn't actually lighting up in flames or smoke.

"Relax, Harrison. It is nothing to be concerned about. I shall explain it to you. When a wizard or witch uses excessive amounts of Dark Magic, they give off a certain kind of... energy. As if it's the black smoke from a burning fire. The darker the magic, the blacker and larger the smoke. Only other dark wizards can sense this and it can take years of practice to channel it," the Baron told him. "Light wizards cannot sense it, no matter how hard they may try."

"So, because you've had years of experience in this area and I assume you were a dark wizard in your time," Harry chose his words carefully, "this means you can sense this dark smoke coming from me?"

"Exactly. I assume it's even stronger given your werewolf status, too, as they're naturally dark affiliated creatures. Plus, you're bonded to a snake which you can speak with. Honestly Harrison, if you could see yourself, you'd be impressed," the Baron complimented him.

Harry quirked his lip up slightly. "Thank you, I guess. This is the same thing you saw on Tom Riddle then?"

"Yes. It got bigger and stronger every day, the more powerful he was becoming." Harry nodded. "But about those dreams of yours, sometimes if you practice too much Dark Magic in one period of time and you're not quite used to it or you come into contact with certain kinds of dark objects, it can manifest itself in weird ways. Nosebleeds, fainting, magical exhaustion, accidental magic, that kind of thing. In your case, perhaps it's just nightmares."

"Maybe," Harry mumbled.

"You've been careful with the magic you've been doing?" the Baron asked him sternly.

"Of course I have. I've had a teacher," Harry said.

"And who's this?"

"Someone you don't need to worry your head about," Harry glared.

"Alright, I won't pry," the Baron backed off. "Just remember though, if you ever feel the need to get some help because you think something is wrong, make sure you put your trust in the right people."

"Are you saying if the Headmaster found out I used Dark Magic from time to time, he'd snap my wand and call me evil and a dark wizard?" Harry asked in horror. "Surely he wouldn't."

The Baron shook his head. "I doubt that, Harrison. He would be suspicious and concerned, yes. But, I don't think he'd go that far. After all, he's old and wise enough to know that magic is simply magic no matter what kind it is. It's simply how you use it."

"What does that mean?" Harry frowned.

"It means that Dark Magic is not necessarily bad and means someone is evil. Just as Light Magic doesn't necessarily mean someone is good. Remember that."

Harry nodded and thought back to Peter Pettigrew, a supposed light wizard who was one of his parent's, godfather's and Lupin's old best friends from school. He was trusted so much and a loyal Gryffindor, yet he turned against them all and is the reason his parents are dead and why Sirius spent twelve years in Azkaban. 

"Thank you, Baron. This helped a lot," Harry said and he truly meant it. The Baron simply nodded at him and floated off through the wall, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

* * *

He couldn't sleep. He was plagued with yet more dreams that haunted him and made him shiver. He was just glad they were going to head home in a couple of days and he'd be seeing Sirius again, that'd make everything better.

Harry got out of bed and left a snoozing Nessie alone tucked in the covers, not wanting to disturb her. He sighed and headed out the dormitory, making sure to close the door behind him quietly so nobody would hear. The common room was deserted; everyone sleeping as it was the early hours of the morning and the fire was dying out, making the room chilly. 

He didn't know what the password was as it hadn't been assigned yet, considering it wasn't breakfast time - a stupid rule that one of the previous Heads of Slytherin House put in place to stop the students from sneaking out and causing trouble - and he growled, not wanting to sit around in the common room bored. 

He then saw the giant serpent on the door and spotted his opportunity. He hissed to the snake, telling it to open and sure enough it did as told. He grinned and got a wink and tail wag in return. It always came in handy being able to talk to snakes.

He couldn't just stay in the dungeons cooped up the way he was. He was feeling anxious and claustrophobic, in serious need of relaxation and air. It's not as if he had anyone to talk to about his problems anyway as they were all asleep, therefore he walked carefully through the halls of the castle alone, lost deep in thought. 

He came across Lupin's old classroom after ten minutes of strolling and let out a sad sigh. He wished the man could stay as he really was a great teacher and he'd formed quite a strong bond with him. Knowing the man was like himself was comforting, it made him feel less alone as someone out there actually understood him. He hated that people were so prejudice and misinformed.

Harry walked on and saw a black cat lounging on the staircase happily, purring and waiting for it's owner to wake up and feed it some food. He bit his lip curiously and went to go pat the animal when suddenly, it let out a loud _hiss!_ and ran off in the opposite direction, as far away from him as possible.

He glared after the thing and belatedly remembered that cats and werewolves won't always get along, considering he's technically part dog, just as the stereotype goes. It was both amusing and irritating to think about considering the kitty was quite cute but his instincts deep within told him to crush it with his hands. He promptly ignored that and walked away quickly.

He wish he'd brought his map so that it could perhaps lead him into some interesting tunnels that he could explore as he definetly had no intentions on going back to sleep any time soon, however he didn't want to take the trek all the way back down to the dungeons. He decided he'd just figure something out on his own. 

As he was walking through the empty hallways, he looked up above him and saw the dark sky shine in through the high windows above. The twinkly stars shone through the clouds and he smiled at the image. It was simply beautiful. It would be amazing to see this all with clear skies and the full moon out, however things don't always go to plan. This was enough for now, though.

Just as he was making the decision to simply head to the kitchens to get some tea or hot coffee to sooth his nerves, he felt a pull on his magic. It was very similar to what he experienced when he had the mysterious book and he frowned, looking around himself for clues. The hallway was empty though and he shrugged it off to tiredness.

But, as he walked on the ground floor and in the direction of the kitchens, he felt that pull again. It was pulling him in the opposite direction, as if it wanted him to go to it. He frowned and pursed his lips, remaining cautious but still ever so curious. He walked in the direction he was feeling the pull and it just got stronger, however it wasn't unpleasant. It was like it was a familiar presence but he didn't know what. It was comforting. 

He walked towards it and it suddenly started to lead him out onto the grounds. He looked back to the castle nervously, feeling a sense of anxiety and wondering whether this was a good idea or not. He was going to ignore the feeling and call it quits but it just got stronger and he felt warm and calm, all anxiety dripping away. 

He walked and walked until he reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest and strolled right in without a second glance back, all self preservation gone at this point. He just wanted to find what that warm feeling was. Was someone lighting a fire? Was it magic? Perhaps it was Hagrid and he had another dragon. The heat could simply be chalked up to it blowing fumes out it's nose. 

He reached the middle of the forest and the warm feeling began to disappear, much to his disappointment. He looked around and didn't see anything or anyone here. He was alone and confused. Why did he think this was a good idea? Tiredness does the craziest things to people.

Just as he decided to head back to the castle after reprimanding himself internally, the air around himself began to get colder and he shivered slightly.

 _'I should have brought a jacket,'_ he thought miserably, standing there in just his pyjamas. _'Although, I didn't think I'd be going on a midnight adventure through the forest.'_

He walked slowly in the direction he came from but an icy breeze blew past him and made him flinch, backing up and covering his arms. He felt like he was being watched and gulped, an awful feeling running down his spine. He looked over his shoulders and his eyes went wide when he saw dark figures hurriedly coming his way. 

_'No, please, this is just a dream. Let it be a dream,'_ he thought desperately as he started pinching himself hard. The scenery wouldn't change. _'Dammit, this is real. What do I do?! Run!'_ he thought and ran at full speed as the image of multiple Dementors came flying towards him. He ran further into the forest, the twigs crunching under his feet and rocks getting kicked aside. He pushed branches from trees out the way and found himself lost amongst multiple trees, too many he hadn't seen before.

Or perhaps he has. It felt like he'd been here before, but he hasn't. How is this possible? He frowned and gasped, trying to catch his breath. The Dementors were flying above him by now and he was surrounded by too many trees to move anywhere. 

"Help! Help me, someone! Please!" he screamed, feeling himself grow tired as the Dementors slowly started to lower themselves towards him. Everything got colder and he looked up at them with hatred. 

He remembered his wand in his arm holster he always keeps on him these days and yelled out as best he could. "Expect... Expecto Pat..." he muttered and growled, standing up on shaky legs. "Expecto Patronum," he said loudly whilst pointing his wand towards the Dementors who were two seconds away from killing him. 

"We... are here..." a Dementor told him whilst reaching out a hand. "We... will... take your... soul," it threatened. "All... for ourselves..."

Harry growled angrily and clutched his chest tightly as he felt it tighten. Then with all the strength he could muster, he screamed out as loud as he could. "Expecto Patronum!"

A burst of silvery light shot out of his wand, brighter than it ever had before and chased away the Dementors, making them hiss and yell in agony. Harry was pleased to finally get some peace from the monsters and the tension in his body eased as he saw a beautiful silvery snake come out of his wand in an exact replica of Nessie right in front of him, nodding it's head respectfully before disappearing. 

He sat for a moment and tried to catch his breath, clutching his chest and putting his wand away, then laid back on the cold hard ground. He didn't care about the fact that he was getting dirt all over his clothes, he just needed to relax for a moment. He was thinking of Lupin and how proud he'd be when he finally showed him his patronus. 

As he was lost in his thoughts, that's when it suddenly happened. 

Before he could even think, a random Dementor, one that clearly hadn't been affected by the spell and must have been spying from around the corner somehow, jumped out at him from amongst the large trees and stretched out it's cloaked hand. The air was icy cold in an instant and Harry started shivering again. He went to grab for his wand but unfortunately for him, he was too slow.

The Dementor seemed ravenous, it had eyes for only him and suddenly clamped down one of it's hands around Harry's throat, making the boy choke and wince in pain at the lack of breath and burning icy sensation.

"You... are mine... now," the Dementor whispered to him as he struggled to break free. Just as he almost managed to get his wand out, the Dementor used it's other hand to smack it hard out of Harry's hand and it went flying across the forest, landing somewhere in the trees. "You... smell good... Your soul... is mine... now..." the Dementor said as it leaned it's head forward and made shivers run up Harry's spine. "Die..."

He wasn't too aware of what happened next, only that the Dementor wouldn't loosen it's tight grip on his throat and lifted him high up in the air, practically hanging him like he was in a noose. His legs were dangling from the ground and he was desperately trying to yell for it to stop, yet he knew it wouldn't. He felt his heart speed up and heard it banging furiously in his ears. He was having a panic attack and he hoped that he had the common sense to simply pass out before the Dementor had it's wicked way with him.

He felt his breathing get slower as the life was squeezed out of him by the hand wrapped around his throat and his last thought was that the monster was probably going to take his soul away and he'd be left a rotten corpse in the middle of the forest with nobody to ever find him, simply because he wanted to go on a stroll. 

He felt alone and like an idiot.

He saw black spots behind his eyes and they rolled up as his lids closed.

The Dementor hissed angrily and dropped him harshly on the ground in a heap, taking off into the night and leaving Harry there dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> Weren't expecting that, were you? Yikes.


	29. Afterlife

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greeting Death, intense discussions and making plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last part is out! Sorry it took so long but I just wanted to make sure it was accurate and perfect. A great way to wrap this up :)

The first thing he was aware of was that everything around him was total darkness. Not even a tiny glimpse of light could be seen, it was all black. 

Harry stood up from where he was slumped on the ground, or what he assumed was ground and called out. "Hello?" His voice echoed loudly through the distance and he sighed when nobody answered. He had no idea where he was or what to do.

He walked forward and reached out his hand, trying to feel for something, anything at all. There was just empty space. It was like he was in a dark void, sucked into nothingness. Would anyone ever find him in this abyss? Would he be forgotten about forever? He thought hard about what the last thing he remembered was and glowered down at where he imagined his feet to be. 

The Dementor attack in the woods. He managed to conjure a patronus to fight away most of them but that one sneaky bugger got him in the end, somehow. He doesn't know what it did but he's here now, wherever this is. What is this? 

"Where am I?" he mumbled to himself in confusion.

"Well, if you must know... This is what some people call Heaven, whilst others may call Hell," a familiar voice spoke into the darkness. "I, however, colloquially call this the Afterlife."

"Who are you?" Harry asked whilst looking around quickly, still seeing nothing. He imagined his heart to be racing at a moment like this but he couldn't feel it beating, much to his surprise. It was silent and still.

"You know who I am, child. I've been with you all this time, haven't I?" the voice questioned him. He saw a bright light in the distance and focused on that, walking slowly towards it. "That's right, come to me."

"You sound familiar," Harry said as he walked quickly to the bright light. 

"You don't recognise me?" the voice sounded offended. "I'm hurt. I thought we had something special."

Harry frowned and focused hard on the voice, wondering who it could possibly be. He blinked hard in shock when realisation hit him after a minute. 

"You! You're the voice I've been hearing in my head?" he asked whilst looking around for any sign of a person. There was nobody, only a voice. 

"The one and only," the voice said cheekily. "Glad to be able to talk out loud by now?"

Harry nodded even though he wasn't sure if the owner of the voice could see. 

"I'd still rather meet you," he said.

"That's an interesting idea. Why don't I explain some things to you first. I can tell you have questions."

"Alright. What is this place? Where am I?" Harry asked.

"Well, when you were in the forest and under threat by the Dementors, one of them managed to get ahold of you and it sucked out most of your soul," the voice said causally. "Your heart gave out from the panic of it all and you died. The Dementor no longer had any use of you so it fled."

"And I ended up here?" Harry questioned. "Wherever this is."

"Well, your mind did. Your body is currently dead in a heap in the middle of the forest."

Harry gaped and stopped in place, hands shaking in a mix of fright and rage. "So, I'm really dead?" he whispered, trying to keep all his emotions under control. 

"Yes. I thought that was obvious," the voice said sarcastically.

"That's wonderful, then. Just as I'm about to go live with Sirius," Harry grit his teeth.

"That can still happen," the voice commented. 

"How? I'm dead. Unless someone can perform CPR on me but I doubt they'd be able to get to my body in time," Harry scoffed. "Oh god, what if animals start eating me?" he cringed.

"Stop thinking so negatively!" the voice scolded him loudly. Harry shut up and crossed his arms grumpily. 

"How could the Dementors even get to me? They were supposed to be guarding Azkaban!" Harry snapped, remembering the conversation he'd had with Severus.

"They were in hiding, sneaking around in the forest and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. To strike at _you_. They'll have no need of you now so they'll head back to the prison where they rightfully belong."

"Where they belong is in Hell," Harry muttered.

The voice tutted. "Calm down and come to me," it told him, light shining brightly again. 

Harry sighed and began walking at a quick pace again towards the light. It got brighter and brighter until it started to light up the area around him. He eventually found he was no longer surrounded by pure darkness but surrounded by light. He could see his hands and feet again and it was a relieving feeling.

"Better?" the voice asked him.

"Much."

"When a person dies, they are usually thrust into a place that suits their personality and environment. People think if you are a good person and do no misdeeds, you go to the place they call Heaven and it's bright and happy such as this place. Others think if you are cruel and have ill intentions, you are damned to Hell and suffer in the dark just as you were," the voice told him.

"So, I was in Hell and now I've moved to Heaven?" Harry asked sceptically.

"Muggle conspiracy theories. They're interesting to think about. However, they are on the right track, though. It really just depends on what kind of death people have experienced, whether it was calm and peaceful or painful and involved suffering. It's what goes through a person's mind at the time of their death that can influence where they end up."

"I died at the hands of a Dementor and that wasn't particularly nice. It was actually horrible," Harry frowned. "Is that why I was alone in the dark?"

"Yes. Because that's how you felt when you died," the voice told him. Harry nodded, beginning to understand some parts. 

"I suppose that makes sense. How did I end up here, though? In this light part of the Afterlife?"

"You had someone to guide you, to make you feel less alone."

"You mean you," Harry stated.

"Yes. Thank you," the voice chuckled deeply. 

Harry continued to look around himself, checking to see if anyone was here. "I'd still like to meet you. You've been in my head long enough. Show yourself now."

"Is that a demand?" 

"Yes," Harry said quietly. 

The voice let out a sigh. "Alright, that seems fair. Be warned, though. My appearance isn't for the faint of heart."

"I think I can take it," Harry said, mentally preparing himself for what may come.

A shadow moved in the distance, black and shifting and coming his way quickly. It looked like robes were floating around and he realised that it was a person, a man, wearing a black cloak, just like he'd seen in his dreams. It must be the same person, it couldn't be a coincidence. 

The man stopped in front of him eventually and Harry heard his heavy breathing. The cloaked figure had his hood pulled right over his head to obscure his face and he didn't know whether that was a blessing or not as he was slightly scared to see what was under it. 

"Remember me, now?" the familiar voice asked and Harry saw his skeletal hands just under the sleeves of the cloak. Yes, he was glad the hood was up. 

It was the same voice in his head and he realised this is who had been talking to him all this time.

"You're the person who's been inside my head all year?" he asked with wide eyes.

The figure nodded his head. "Yes. Why? Are looks so important to you?" the figure taunted him. "I wouldn't have ever expected that considering you're not exactly perfect, yourself."

Harry glared angrily at the cloaked figure. "Hey! I never insinuated such a thing. No need to be so rude."

"I'm just playing, child. You must relax."

"How can I? I'm dead and my body is probably rotting as we speak. I'm never going to see Sirius again and I'm stuck here with _you_!" Harry said angrily. "I thought once you die, that's it. You're just gone. I never expected this torment, it sucks! I'd kill myself but not even that's possible."

The figure chuckled at him and Harry glowered.

"You are hysterical, child. Have you already forgotten what I told you when you first came here?" the figure said. "It's not impossible for you to see your godfather again."

"How?" Harry asked quickly. "Can you get me out of here?"

"I can do anything I like whenever I like," the figure shrugged. "And with who I like. I can control any lives or deaths I want."

"Oh? And why is that?" Harry frowned. 

"Because, child," the figure said in a deep voice, "I _am_ Death."

Harry gaped and took a step backwards. "You're what?" he asked.

"You've read my book, I can tell," the figure - no, Death - told him. "How did you come across it? Not many people do."

"Uh..." Harry trailed off, not having any words to say. He was shivering but not from the cold. One of his greatest fears was standing right in front of him and acting like they were the best of friends. He'd been nothing but helpful to him all year round inside his head and he had no idea! He felt like even more of an idiot than before he'd died.

"I won't accept 'uh' as an appropriate answer, child," Death scolded him. "How did you find my book?"

Harry cleared his throat. "It was in Borgin and Burkes. It's a shop in Knockturn Alley that sells... questionable items. The man there persuaded me to buy it, however he seemed a bit shocked that I really was doing it, I could tell. He told me that apparently there was a curse on it. I just thought he was joking."

"Nobody would kid about curses on dark artifacts, child. They are to be taken seriously. It isn't like your usual joke shop toy," Death shook his head. 

"I know that now!" Harry defended himself. "Because your stupid book had me killed!"

"I've said it before, I can do what I want when it comes to life and death."

"Hmm. Are you saying you can bring people back to life?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Even I have my morals and I think that if they have a purpose they haven't yet fulfilled, they may go back to the land of the living," Death told him. "One of my very rare good qualities."

"So, you'd consider sending me back?" Harry asked curiously, hoping the answer would be yes. He would hate to be stuck in the Afterlife like this with a freaky ghoulish creature breathing down his neck every two seconds. 

"I've been watching you closely, child. Examining you and your life this past year. I see you have my old cloak," Death said with amusement.

Harry's eyes went wide. "The Invisibility Cloak! Of course, it belonged to you at first, didn't it? You made it. I read it in the Tale Of The Three Brothers book."

"Yes. And you are aware that it got passed down through the Peverell's ancestors?" Death asked him. "It never left the family line, even when the names changed, as they do. It always stayed within the lineage. It went to the first born male or female of the family."

"My father had it," Harry said. "And then I got it."

"Precisely. That book you considered reading involving your family history? Do it. You'll find some very interesting things in there that you never would have expected. Most especially involving the Peverells," Death said with the hint of a grin in his voice. "Perhaps, even re-read the old tale."

"Why?"

"Just to jog your memory. It couldn't help to memorise what those ancient artifacts are, can it? It could always come in useful. After all, there is more than one," Death said in a mysterious voice. "Especially if you look around yourself and see something you never would have expected. Something that's right in front of your very eyes."

Harry frowned in confusion, wondering what he meant but simply nodded his head. He hardly wanted to question the immortal entity standing in front of him in a reckless manner - he was his only ticket out of this place and perhaps he was right, anyway. If he successfully managed to come back to life, he'd seek out what Death told him as he was slightly curious about these artifacts.

"Alright then, I'll give that a go," Harry said.

"Good," Death said. "Do you want to know why the Dementors were so fascinated with you all year round?" he spoke eerily.

"I know this, a friend told me."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Apparently I've split my soul too many times," Harry winced. "They were after it."

"Correct. A very clever friend you have," Death said amused. "The Dementors are proud workers of mine and do my bidding. They grant me souls should I desire them. You have indeed split your soul into multiple pieces, child. It is something that no person should do. It should always remain as one but you have fractured it. The Dementors were attracted to them all and that's why they all chased you."

"I didn't know about soul splitting at first..." Harry trailed off with slight shame. "If I'd known..."

"You wouldn't have done what you have?" Death questioned him in a mocking voice. "We both know that is a lie." Harry looked offended but Death continued on. "You have done terrible things. Great but terrible. Like some wizards out there. However, I feel that if you continue on the path you have chosen, you may become lost and possibly broken beyond repair."

"That's not the first time I've heard that. What's that supposed to even mean?" Harry asked with concern.

"It means that if you split your soul too many times, you'll begin to transform into something that shouldn't exist. Something rotten," Death said with despair in his voice. "You once had a complete soul and were pure but if you continue to break it, you'll simply become a mere shadow of what you once were. An echo. The real you will disappear and in your place, something malicious will take over."

"What do you mean 'malicious'?" Harry asked with wide eyes.

Death sighed. "Do you really think people are born evil? That's not true. Everyone is born with their soul intact. But their actions ruin them. They make their own paths and can go one of two ways. Stay with the Light and do good for the world and their soul or go into darkness and ruin the world and evidently, themselves in the process."

"You're talking about the Death Eaters?" Harry questioned. "They're all murderers and followers of Voldemort."

"You've caught on," Death nodded his cloaked head. "And who has split his soul more than any other, do you think? The one person who is more malicious than any other in this world. I'll give you a hint: you just said his name."

"Voldemort," Harry whispered.

"Yes. He's a madman," Death said with disappointment. "I am the entity that is Death, himself and even I have to admit that the man has gone too far. He's merely a shadow of himself. There is no Tom Riddle that existed when he was a child. The clever school student, the one who was a Prefect and Head Boy is now gone. He'll never come back." Death came up close to him and reached out a hand, cradling it against Harry's cheek and whispered intently. "Make sure you don't become like him."

Harry frowned to himself and bit his lip anxiously. "I wouldn't. I'm not a psychopath," he said defensively. "There's nothing wrong with me, is there?" he asked self consciously.

"I never said you were a psychopath," Death reassured him. "But, you certinally have the potential to become one if you don't listen to what I said," he warned Harry.

Harry nodded quickly. "Alright, I'll try to remember that then. I'm nothing like those people. I'm _not_!" he muttered to himself.

"I see great things in you, Harry Potter. You can do well for this world if you just apply yourself in the proper manner," Death told him. "You'll make mistakes along the way, you're still a child and still learning, that's hardly your fault. However, you must begin to learn right from wrong. Try to control your anger through other means."

Harry nodded again. "Fine. Maybe I'll go see a Mind Healer or I'll talk to Sirius about how I feel," he sighed. "He might understand. He's been through tough times, himself. I won't tell him everything, obviously," he rolled his eyes.

"Very well," Death said. "Would you like to go back to the land of the living, now?" he finally asked Harry.

Harry's eyes went wide. "Yes, please! I would love that. I don't want my body to remain in the forest forever."

"I wouldn't imagine you would," Death said. "As you are aware, your soul has been fractured into multiple pieces, therefore it's a very complicated process to bring someone back to life when they've died and had either their soul, or part of it, removed."

"I thought I had a heart attack because the Dementor tried killing me," Harry said.

"You did, however it still sucked out a part of you and that shall remain lost," Death said. "I shall try to help you heal by giving you a rare gift of mine. Something only very few people are worthy of."

"What's that?" Harry asked curiously.

"I shall feed part of my own soul to you, a very great honour," Death said. Harry gaped. "It shall attach itself to you and bring you back to life, thus making you stronger and giving you the energy you need to continue on your journeys. I shall be watching over you and hopefully provide a level of comfort and protection if you need it," he said in a soft tone.

"That's kind of you," Harry said whilst blinking. "I don't know what to say." 

He was confused on his feelings. From everything he'd read about in Death's Book and heard about through snippets from Silas, they both always assumed the worst when it came to the entity that was Death. Harry assumed he'd be all consuming of wanting his soul and damning him to eternal Hell and suffering, however he was willing to send him back to the land of the living with part of his soul and guide him with important advice. 

He was sure Death wasn't being manipulative as he seemed genuine, however Harry still kept his guard up. But he really just wanted to live again, he was sick of being here. It was very conflicting on his emotions.

"Just say a quick thank you and we can begin," Death's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Thank you," Harry nodded.

"I must warn you now, child. Some things may change, be aware of this," Death told him. 

"What things?" Harry asked cautiously. "I'm not going to come back to life looking like a rotten zombie, am I?" he asked in a panic.

Death sighed irritably. "Of course not, don't be silly. I am simply referring to your inner self and your magic."

"Alright..." Harry narrowed his eyes. "Explain that to me, then."

"I am attaching a part of myself to you and this shall create a change within your personality," Death explained. "I am a dark affiliated omen, after all. Just as you are a dark affiliated creature. This will only amplify the process. As I told you before, you must learn to control your thoughts and actions. _Don't_ lose control of yourself, _don't_ become reckless. It shall feel very easy to do so."

This was exactly the reason why Harry felt as if he were subtly being manipulated. The way Death was obviously hinting at the fact that he wanted to send Harry back with the peace of mind that he'd be alright if he followed his advice of trying his hardest to be on his best behaviour. However, with Death's soul attached to his, there was a large chance he'd be a lost cause and do some damage - most likely killing. 

He felt as if this was probably what people were talking about. What his book was talking about. Why those people Silas saw looked so ruined. 

Death was trying to persuade him to do his bidding. Bring him the souls of the people he'd murder once he got sent back to the land of the living. 

Harry breathed harder and clenched his fists, lost on what to do, feeling more confused and hopeless than ever. He wanted to say no, wanted to kick and scream and demand he not be taken advantage of like this, but he knew that wouldn't help. Death would simply keep him here in the Afterlife forever. Therefore, he made his decision after some serious internal struggling. There was only one option and he went for it.

"I shall try my hardest," Harry said firmly. "I promise."

Death nodded his cloaked head. "Very well, then. Hmm... I remember seeing that you have a Phoenix and holly wand. Well, this will no longer be of any use to you."

"Why? I like my wand," Harry frowned upset. "You're not going to keep it. I need that."

"You may as well just snap it and throw it in a bin, it will be useless once you go back," Death said. "Your magic is going to be readjusted, transformed. A new wand will be needed. It's not uncommon in this world."

"So, you want me to just walk into Ollivanders and buy a new wand?" Harry questioned.

"I wouldn't expect you to build your own one, would I?" Death said in amusement. "Unless that's a secret talent you have which would be highly impressive."

Harry scowled and thought about his wand that was currently lost in the forest right now with a feeling of sadness. He'd been attached to that wand for three years and the thought of parting with it made him feel a sense of nostalgia already. The fact that it wouldn't work anymore was devastating. All good things come to an end, though.

"What do I say to Ollivander?" Harry asked in a tight voice, trying not to lose control of his emotions.

"Be honest. Tell him your wand no longer accepts you as it's owner. He'll understand. There will probably be shock at first but like I said. It's not uncommon for some wizards or witches to lose allegiances with their wands for whatever reason brought it on. It could be anything. They've grown as a person, learned new branches of magic, are in mourning or sick."

"Or have died," Harry deadpanned.

"That too," Death chuckled. Harry didn't know what was so amusing about the situation and was in quite a sour mood by now but just kept his mouth shut and sighed to himself. "Now, are you ready to begin the process?"

Harry nodded quickly and stood up straighter. "Yes, I am. What do I do?"

"Take hold of my hand," Death said, holding out a skeletal hand that poked through the dark sleeves of the cloak. Harry gulped and slowly reached out his own hand, gently grasping onto the cold hard bones that belonged to the death omen and bit his lip hard to hold back a gag. "Shut your eyes."

Harry immediately clamped his eyes shut, glad to no longer be able to see the horrific sight in front of him. He heard swishing and felt the breeze of wind swoosh past his face before it began to circle him. He still didn't open his eyes. The skeletal hand holding his got tighter but he focused on the sound of the swooshing and air blowing around him, making his hair ruffle backwards.

After a minute it stopped and everything settled down, peaceful and quiet. Death relented his grip on his hand completely. 

"You may open your eyes."

Harry opened them slowly and looked down at himself, not seeing anything different. He was confused as to what happened. "Um..."

"Your vocabulary is shocking," Death sighed. "What do they teach you in that blasted school? If you're wondering what that was, I was splitting off part of my soul and wrapping it around you. It's not visible to the naked eye as it sank deep within to your very core where your own soul is. The very small part that still remains. They are attached. Only dark wizards will be able to see it and how it surrounds you."

"I had a friend... well, a ghost that explained that to me," Harry said, remembering what the Baron told him about the black smoke that radiates from him.

"Interesting. You're more educated than I anticipated. Who would have thought..."

"Why did I have to close my eyes?" Harry frowned, ignoring the slight insult.

"I took off my cloak and revealed my true form. My hands seem to cause you displeasure. I've already told you, I doubt you would like my entire appearance. Unless you'd like to-"

"No thank you!" Harry said quickly.

"Hmm," Death muttered. "By far the weakest werewolf I've come across. Too queasy."

"I'm not weak!" Harry yelled. 

"Good. I'm glad you believe that," Death said.

Harry felt relieved for a moment before frowning again. His mind was reeling from the paranoia that hit him again. Was it the mind games or genuine? He still couldn't tell. One thing he was surely happy about though was that he was able to leave this place.

"Can I go back now?" he asked hopefully. "It'd be nice to see what kind of wand I can get," he said in his most charming voice, trying to be persuasive.

Death was silent for a moment before nodding his cloaked head. "Alright then, let's begin." The bright light around him began to fade slowly and it was like someone was blowing out candles in a room or the sun was setting quickly. Everything began to get colder, too. His arms and legs felt shivery and his teeth were clattering. It was odd considering he hardly gets cold these days as he has increased body heat, yet he felt like he was standing in a freezer or the tundra. The last time he felt like that was when he was under attack from the Dementors.

Everything began to blacken and he saw the figure fly away into the dark again, whispering one last final message.

"I'll be watching over you, Harry Potter..." Death told him from afar and then everything was blissfully silent. There was no noise, no feeling, no sight, just blackness and numbness. He was beginning to think it hadn't worked and he'd been tricked, however he was wrong.

He woke up with a wheezing gasp on the forest floor, back in his body, clutching hard at his chest and staring up at the dark sky above.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3
> 
> That's the end of part 4! Book 5 will be next: 'Goblets And The Moon'. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. It was so much fun to write!! :D


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